Taken
by Vija-Thorn
Summary: What if the fight Legolas had with Bolg at the end of Desolation of smaug went down differently. Legolas gets captured and is under threat of torture. Tauriel has to save him before it's to late. Practice for my next fic.
1. Chapter 1

Moving quickly, the lone elf followed the orc party through the lake town. The boats and bridges and paths were proving difficult for the orcs to traverse, yet Legolas was having no difficulty at all. Expertly he bounded over blockades, jumping off walls and canoes as he loosed arrow after arrow felling the many enemies.

But these orcs were just soldiers, he was after their leader…. and it didn't take him long to catch up. Finally rounding the corner he stopped short, narrowing his brilliant eyes at the enemy commander who stood at the end of the ally. For a moment the two stared each other down before each moved, Legolas drawing his sword while the orc raised his massive weapon. Running at each other, the elf dodged the first blow, expertly spinning around and landing his own which was in turn blocked. For a minute they sparred, Legolas managing to dodge each attack before one was finally landed. The force of the blow not only knocked him to the ground, but his sword skittered away.

Without a warning he was picked up and tossed into the nearest wall before being dragged to his feet. A fist slammed into his face, dazing him momentarily. But this also made the Orc drop his guard. Stepping forward, the elf tripped the orc, and used his own body weight against him slammed him into the opposite wall. It was now the orcs sword that then skittered away and off the dock, dropping into the water with a splash.

Having a second, Legolas stumbled back, tried to regain his baring. Shaking his head he blinked a couple of times trying to clear the stars that danced in front of his vision. But that second he had didn't help much once the orc slammed into him again.

At this point Bolg was getting irritated. This elf and his companion had attempted to foil him twice now, killing many of his soldiers and upsetting their quest to kill the dwarves. If he had any sense of humanity in him at all, he might give the elf credit for his skills as a combatant, he was strong and lithe. But could he contend with the brute force he had at his disposal? It was still to be seen. His companion the she-elf was still to be seen as well. This was the perfect opportunity for him to exact a little revenge.

Grappling with the orc for a moment Legolas felt himself hit the ground once more. Angry now that this battle was continuing on so long he rolled into a crouch before springing at the orc. He managed to land a solid blow on his enemy, but before he could spin away again, the orc had him by the front of his tunic. He struggled to escape for a moment before the Orc commander brought up an iron clad knee into his chest and slammed him head first into the wall once again.

Winded and dazed, Legolas fell to the wooden dock, sputtering for air. It was then that he realized that Tauriel had never arrived. He thought briefly that perhaps she had been injured or killed….but that thought was quickly over-written by a deeper and worse idea, that she had stayed to save that _dwarf.  
_  
His thoughts were suddenly cut short when the orc picked him up by the throat and slammed him into the wall. Legolas struggled for a moment which only caused the orc to slam his head against the wall again. He let out a small cry of shock before going limp while his mind tried to clear the daze.  
"Where's your companion?" The orc growled in his face, so close Legolas could almost taste his breath. Gritting his teeth, he only frowned, glaring up at the orc with defiance.

He didn't want to accidently send the enemy back at her, but he also didn't want the orc commander to know he was…alone. The realization suddenly hit him. He was alone. Tauriel….she wasn't coming. No one was coming.

The orc leaned in closer, tightening the grip on his throat. "Were is the she-elf, scum?"

Legolas choked for air, clawing at the orcs steel hands, kicking and struggling. When the grip loosened enough to allow him to speak, Legolas spat an elvish curse at him, which he paid for with another slam into the wall.

Groaning, Legolas waited for his vision and mind to clear, all the while desperately trying to think of a way out of this mess. It was rash….following the enemy by himself. But then, he was supposed to have had backup. Had Tauriel followed him they could have easily beaten this foe. But she hadn't….some disgusting dwarf was more important to her that him. Her friend, her ally, her prince and yet she still decided to stay behind.

It was then that two other creatures rounded the corner of the ally, disgusting and twisted, they sniggered and grinned at him. The orc commander disregarded the others and spoke again. "Are you in league with the dwarves?"

Legolas narrowed his eyes. "No." he spat, despite himself.

"He's lying!" One of the minions spoke up. "The she-elf is with 'em right now! We've been watching 'em." This broke Legolas's heart. So it was confirmed.

The orc commander growled at him, taking his expression as regret of being found out to be helping dwarves. This of course was far from the truth but that didn't change the decision Bolg made. He stared into the elf's sharp and defiant eyes for a moment before slamming his head against the wall for a final time, letting go and allowing Legolas to slide to the ground. "Bind him."

The sharp bite of rope drawing his hands and arms together behind his back brought him out of his daze but it was already too late for struggle. He swore in elvish when one of the orcs dragged him to his knees and wrenched his head back by his hair.

Dizzy, nervous and angry, he watched the orc commander retrieve his elven blade and toss it to one of the lackeys who caught it sloppily, screeching in irritation when the sharp edge nearly got him. "Take that to the she-elf. Her companion has died. She should know." He chuckled darkly at his plan before stepping back over to his prisoner as the minion disappeared into the night.

"She'll slaughter you all if you kill me. She'll never stop." Legolas grit out, fighting the hand that was still painfully threaded through his fair hair. Although his expression showed nothing but anger and defiance deep down he was terrified…and that fear took his mind down dark paths.

But it was when the commander started speaking the very thoughts that were on his mind did he really get uneasy. "Will she really? Where is she now?" He stepped closer, towering dangerously over his kneeling prisoner. "And if she does come. We'll kill her."

Legolas eyes widened a fraction, his brows drawing together as he swallowed nervously. She would come, she would come….

The blow came out of nowhere, pain and stars exploded behind his eyes when the boot connected. Legolas landed hard on his side; blood dripped steadily from his nose, fair skin already beginning to show the bruise. His eyes fluttered for a moment before the darkness took his mind.

_Tauriel…._

...

Within the now ruined home of Bard, 3 dwarves, 3 children and an elf sat around their injured companion.  
Tauriel had just finished binding Kili's wound when he had grasped her hand, and in his poison induced delirium had professed some type of feelings for her. Not moments later he had passed out again, but she hadn't the heart the pull her hand away.

It was so wrong….but for some reason she had begun to care about this dwarf. Did she find him physically appealing? Perhaps ….But it was his zest for life, his cheerful and humorous attitude that drew her. Could she love him like he had asked not moments before he passed out? She…..didn't know. She didn't even know how to interpret all of these emotions.

But for now she was getting worried. Legolas hadn't returned. She had assumed that he would wait for her, return when he realized she hadn't followed. But then again, she had faith in his ability. He was probably just tracking them. And if that was the case, she would follow the trail as soon as she was done here.

A sudden flurry of movement and crash of sound brought her quickly out of her stupor. Drawing her hand away from Kili's she stood. A small orc had just entered through the hole in the ceiling. The children quickly scampered to the other side of the room as Fili jumped to attack the creature. It cackled, blocking the attacks as the other two dwarves moved to join the fight.

The fine glint of steel caught her eye and she yelled for the three dwarves to stop. The orc….was wielding Legolas' sword. Flying forward, she pushed past the dwarves and slammed the creature to the floor. Pressing her knife into its throat menacingly she spoke. "Where….did you get that weapon."  
She had trouble keeping her expression calm and the fear and anger out of her voice. "WHERE?"

The orc only laughed, as if completely disregarding the blade at its throat. "-You're friend gave it to me. After we killed him."

Tauriel stilled in shock, her mind not being able to process the information. But slowly her heart leapt into her throat in anger and overwhelming sorrow. "YOU'RE LYING!" She finally screamed in its face. "WHERE IS HE?"

The dwarves around the room only gave each other side ways glances. They only knew Tauriels companion to be arrogant and self-righteous, hateful towards their species….but they did know what it would feel like to lose someone close to you. They had been so close to losing Kili…..if not for Tauriel…

The orc grinned in the face of its own death, pleased to cause the she-elf so much pain even if it meant its own demise. "His body's probably sunk to the bottom of the lake. As for his head, I thi-" But those words were his last before his head was separated from its body.

Tauriel fell back, shaking and breathing hard before staggering over to a nearby chair and collapsing in it. A tear slipped down her face for her long-time friend and prince. The only reason he had come in the first place was because he had feelings for her. She had known that and had used those feelings to manipulate him. And now…

"T-Tauriel…" She barely glanced up to see Kili's eyes open and staring sadly at her.

She looked away from him in shame and anguish before dropping her face into her hands. Thranduil would probably have her executed now….And if she was the reason for Legolas' death….she would welcome that decision.

Bofur leaned down to pick up the elvish blade from the dead orcs hand. It was a beautifully crafted piece of work, he had to give the elves that much. "What if he was lying?" Frowning he looked from the sword to the elf.

Tauriel swallowed, raising her eyes to the sword. "Why send the orc like that then?" The possibility both filled her with hope and dread. What if Legolas _was_ alive and in the hands of the enemy?

It was then that Oin piped in, answering her question. "To get this reaction from you, my lady. What if they didn't want to be followed?"

Tauriel's mind was starting to race. Could Legolas be…..

"Go." She barely heard the whispered word. "You still have time to catch them…" Kili was now propped on his elbows, brows furrowed. She swallowed before standing, making her way to leave.

"I'm coming with ya!" She turned slightly to see the other young dwarf at her heels. Fili…she thought she had heard him called.

"No, it's much too dangerous and this is my fi-" She started but was cut off quickly by his words.

"You stayed to help us. If not for us, your friend wouldn't be missing. So it's our turn to help." The dwarfs resolve was rock solid on this one. From behind, Kili watched his brother in fear. They'd never went on missions or to battle apart before.

"Fili, be careful. Tauriel…you'll find him. You will." Even though the young dwarf was still feeling rather ill, his mind was at least straight again. Compassion burned in his eyes.

Tauriel nodded, her expression a mix of fear, anger and sadness. By the heavens she hoped he was alright.

...

Legolas awoke slowly, disoriented and afraid. It took him a moment to remember what had happened and was hit by overwhelming dread.

Currently he was tied onto the back of a warg behind an orc, his wrists and arms still firmly bound and his body rested on the back of the rider. The position almost made him sick and if he wasn't afraid of what would happen if they knew he was awake he may have even tried to struggle. So instead, he silently assessed his situation.

There was no way he was escaping the rope that was tied at his wrists and elbows, neither was he able to move off the warg since he was tied down. He figured this was so his unconscious body would not fall off. His face hurt where the orc commander had hit him, not to mention his entire body was stiff from being bound in the same position.

It was dark….how long had he been unconscious? How long had they been riding? Where were they? Wargs were wicked fast so depending on how long they had been on the move they could be anywhere.

Now very aware of his surroundings, his blue eyes carefully watched the landscape slip by.

**AUTHORS NOTES**

I've had a fanfic in mind for a long time. The thing is when I write a fanfic I need all the elements known. I need to have an understanding of the story and lore, and I need to peg down the sequence of events. I have yet to do that! The fic I want to write is very similar in plot to this but will take place during lotr rather then the hobbit.

This is just a drabble. Me organizing my ideas. Me brainstorming.  
So I'll probably only write more of this if I get fan feedback. (I'd probably end up torturing poor legolas. Don't encourage me.)

But have this until I can peg down my proper fic.

Btw. Am I the only one concerned for legolas at the end of Desolation of Smaug? I would be flipping out if I didn't know he was ok and made it to the lotr movies.

-Vija


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Following the trail of slain orcs through the town, Tauriel dashed along the docks, followed closely by Fili. With every step her heart grew heavier in fear. She needed him to be alive. He couldn't have perished.

Stopping, the elf glanced around. There had been a fight here. Sharp eyes darting around the scene she prayed that she would not find Legolas' body.

Breathing hard, Fili finally arrived, his expression determined and his eyes keen.

"There was a battle here…" Tauriel mused aloud for the dwarfs benefit. Desperately looking around for some sign of her friend her eyes caught something. There was blood on the dock; not the black blood of orcs, but the red blood of a man or an elf….However, there wasn't enough to be from a fatal wound…

Standing, she surveyed the area. There was nothing. No sign of him.

Not being the greatest at investigating, Fili glanced over the scene with a frown. There were a couple dead orcs laying on the street….but he couldn't make out any other clue. He couldn't even tell that there was a battle, he was only taking the elf's word for it. Turning to glance out over the water he noticed something.

Wedged in between a boat and a building as if it had been violently discarded, was what looked to very much be a quiver. "There!"

At the shout, the elf was at his side in less than a second, fearing for the worst. Her heart dropped when she saw what Fili was pointing out. Hopping from one canoe to the next she retrieved the quiver. It was empty….and it was Legolas'.

Returning to shore, she bit her lip. He'd never voluntarily take it off….and if it had been damaged and had fallen off during battle how could it have ended up as far away as it was?

"What do you think?" Fili questioned, worriedly. He didn't much care for her friend. But he was in her debt and wanted to help her.

"I fear the worst…" Tauriel's eyes swept the scene once more.

...

As night turned into day Legolas' heart was becoming heavier. They had been traveling without a break for the entire night it seemed and it didn't look like they would be stopping soon. The wargs were tireless, as were their riders.

As the landscape changed, the question as to where they were going came to Legolas's mind once more, particularly when the forest which used to be greenwood, now called Mirkwood, came into view. Adjusting their course, the creatures began riding along the side of it.

A wicked cackle drew his attention, and when he turned his head slightly he came face to face with the orc riding beside him. Trying to keep the fear off his face, he adopted the icy mask he had learned for him father.

"Our friends awake." The creature screeched at his companions. There were about 5 of them in the party including the commander he had fought, each astride a warg. Legolas only glared at the creature. "Nothing to say? That's ok." The orc grinned wickedly at him. "We'll make you squeal soon enough. Once we reach Dol Guldur."

Dol Guldur? But….it was supposed to be abandoned. He thought back to when they had the orc captured…what he'd said. What if there was something bigger going on than just a plot to kill some dwarves?

His thoughts raced as everything pulled together. The sickness of the forest that had started months back…..Dol Guldur, where the spiders seemed to spawn, wasn't as abandoned as they thought. The orc party that was following Oakenshield and company…. There was definitely something sinister happening. And….his father knew. That was why he had beheaded that orc. But was it to keep the information from him or was it out of fear?

Either way, Legolas' heart beat faster in fear. If there really was something evil happening in Dol Guldur what did that mean for him?

...

After what seemed like ages of searching, Tauriel had finally managed to find a sign of where the orc party had went. In the mud just before the bridge out of town here warg tracks. On the opposing side of the bridge they led off back toward the forest.

Morning broke over the two riders as they followed the trail, one astride a tall white horse, the other astride a furry pony. But as they rounded the lake towards the now Mirkwood forest, Tauriel halted. After a moment Fili did as well, turning to look back at the elf. "What's wrong? We need to get moving."

The elf frowned, looking left to the trail that the wargs left and then right towards the path to home. On horseback, the ride back to the elven stronghold would take not but an hour. No one save the few dwarves and the 3 children knew what happened the past night. If they went on this quest and did not return or they were captured themselves no one would know to rescue them.

"I need to ride back to the woodland realm. To tell king Thanduil what has happened." Tauriel came to this decision with much difficulty. The king could be scary at the best of times, aloof and cold. But what he would do when he found out what had happened struck fear in her heart. Not to mention that the only reason Legolas had left in the first place was because of her. And it was her that convinced him to continue the quest rather than return home.

Fili frowned at this decision, turning his pony so he could stare at her properly. "But….what about the trail? What about your friend? We're already a half a day behind them! They trail will go cold!"

"I know. That is why you will continue following the trail. But if you do catch up, only observe, do not engage in battle. Legolas could not even beat this foe." Saying these words hurt her deeply, but this was something she had to do.

Fili let out a breath in disbelief before frowning even deeper and trying to decide what he'd do. "Fine. But I'll do this only because you saved my brother's life." He wasn't the best tracker, nor was he prepared to take on a hoard of orcs by himself. But he was in Tauriel's debt.

The elf's brows rose slightly. So Kili was his brother. His willingness to help made a lot more sense now. "Thank you Fili. Hopefully I will catch up to you by the end of the day." And hopefully she would be bringing backup with her.

...

It was just turning to evening when the wargs came to their destination. Legolas' heart dropped, his breath catching in fear. This place had a dark aura about it; the evil in the air was nearly stifling. But as they rode closer to the ominous spires and towers it still appeared to be deserted.

Only when they crossed the threshold did the spell lift and he truly see the stronghold. It was teaming with orcs and wargs and all manners of evil creatures. A fiery glow came from within the fortress and even from here he could hear the chatter of creatures and the sound of weapons being smithed.

As they were about to enter into the crumbling fortress he glanced up just in time to see a man held within a cage, hanging just by the entrance. But he was quickly forgotten as they entered because as soon as the warg stopped, they were on him. Sniggering and grinning, the orcs untied him from the creatures back and threw him painfully to the ground.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to fight off the clawing hands, kicking and struggling but to no avail. They quickly had him on his knees again, more than one hand threaded through his hair to keep him still.

As Bolg dismounted his wolf another orc rounded the corner. Massive and pale and missing an arm which was replaced by some wicked looking weapon.

Legolas could only stare, his eyes wide in fear, mouth pressed into a grim line. The two started speaking in a language he did not understand, but it was clear that the larger and paler creature was very angry at the orc commander whom he had fought. Suddenly Bolg pointed an accusing finger at him which in turn caused the pale orc to turn, staring him down menacingly.

He then spoke, his rendition of the common tongue awful yet understandable. "You're the reason Oakenshield made it to the mountain. You killed our people."  
Legolas swallowed, glaring icily at the massive creature. Azog came closer, crouching down to look him in the eye. "You will hurt for this. You will hurt for a long time."

Panic rose in Legolas' chest and he wondered briefly if he should mention his father, threaten them with his title, but instead he stayed quiet. He refused to give this abomination the satisfaction of hearing him speak. He would not beg. He would not bargain. And he would most definitely not bring his people into this mess. His last hope was that Tauriel would come. Even if she had stayed to help the dwarf she would not abandon him once she found that he was missing, he was sure of it.

The massive orc narrowed his eyes at him for a moment before standing once again and motioning for him to be taken away. It took 3 orcs to manhandle him deeper into Dol Guldur and he fought them the entire way.  
...

Tauriel made good time through the forest and quickly found herself at the gates of the woodland realm. It took no time for them to open far enough for her to enter. Dismounting, she left the horse with the confused guards at the door and took off across bridges and through the halls of her home.

She stopped right before the bend that led to the throne room and tried to pull herself together. What would say? There was no easy way to break this news to him. Thranduil was like the weather, he could be calm and serene at one moment but turn into an icy winters storm the next. Taking a breath she rounded the bend and began taking the stairs up to the throne.

At the sight of his guard captain, the king stood, his expression barely changing. "Tauriel." The bite in his voice was the only thing that gave away his anger. "I was beginning to believe that you were not going to come back."

"My king…" She bowed to him slightly, pausing as she tried to think of what to say.

Thranduil cocked his head slightly to one side and stared at her cooly. "You directly disobeyed me. You have broken my trust in you."

Tauriel swallowed, looking down and bit her lip. Finally she pulled the sword from where she had sheathed it at her back. Holding it out before her he couldn't bear to meet the kings eyes. It was Legolas's sword.

Thranduil's eyes widened, the icy expression melting into one of horror. Slowly he took the steps down from his throne and moved towards her, eyes never leaving the blade. "What is this?" His words were a whisper as he reached for the sword. His fingers hovered over the blade barely brushing it as if he were afraid that as soon as he grasped it he would have to grasp the reality of the situation.

"He went after a group of orcs alone." Tauriel spoke so quietly her words were barely a whisper. "An orc found me and attacked, wielding this, He said that L-" She stopped speaking, trying to calm her nerves. "He said that Legolas was dead."

Pain and anguish crossed the king's face as he shuddered a breath. Finally he gently lifted the sword from her hands and turned his back to her.

"I have reason to believe that he's been taken captive." Tauriel continued on quietly. "We've been following the trail left along the forest towards Dol Guldur."

There was a silence in the room before Thranduil spoke. His voice quiet and filled with anguish, yet there was another emotion threatening the edge of his tone, anger. "We?"

"One of….Thorin Oakenshields party….has been assisting me." Tauriel could feel the tension grow in the room as if there was a storm brewing. Yet the king was silent as he thought.

Minutes passed before he spoke. "Why was he alone when he attacked? Where were you?" He turned just enough to glare at her, fire burning in his eyes. "You left to help THEM, didn't you?" He turned even further, the cool aloof expression replaced with a burning anger. The next words he spoke were soft yet so cold Tauriel could nearly feel the bite of ice. "If you have gotten my son killed you will pay for it dearly."

Tauriel could not meet the kings eyes and instead looked at the floor. "There is still time. We can save him."

"We?" Thranduil spat at her, turning and stepping so close it was uncomfortable. He leaned down to get right in her face. "You're not going anywhere." With that he spun, leaving the room with urgency in his step and motioning to the guards who had been watching the scene with wide shocked eyes. "Take her to the dungeon."

...  
**AUTHORS NOTES**

So it turns out a lot of you actually want to see this continued. I know what I want to happen to Legolas in the short term. But I have no plot planned for the rest of it or the end, only a vague idea.  
So basically right now I'm just kinda plotting as I go. Welp.  
I still want to write my proper fic but I guess I'll continue this one and see how it goes.

Next chapter will be dark and painful. Just a warning.


	3. Chapter 3

Fili was no great tracker, but thankfully you didn't have to be a great tracker to follow the trail the orc party left. The heavy prints from the wargs were engraved into the earth, creating a worn path through the forest. The sun had long since gone down leaving the lone dwarf to darkness. But this was in his favor as he stole though the woods.

Even though he knew he could easily hide it still unnerved him. The being alone. He'd never really went on any journey alone since Kili was usually by his side. Or at least someone….someone….. But here he was alone. Tauriel hadn't even reappeared and this scared him. What if something had happened to her to? What if he was walking in onto an orc party with no back up?

But he wouldn't let that stop him. He had promised to help her, and so he would. So he carried on, silently following the worn path through the eerie forest.

...

As the orcs dragged him through the halls of Dol Guldur, Legolas became increasingly afraid. Panic and terror swelled in his chest as he kicked and fought his captors. He would not give in so easily. He would not allow them to see his fear. So instead he showed them his anger. But it did no good, he was restrained and they were armed and outnumbered him.

Although this place did not have a dungeon initially, it apparently did now. Orcs were fond of dungeons and had created one. This is the destination Legolas found himself being dragged into. He swallowed at the sight of the chains and the wicked instruments that were scattered around the room. It had obviously already been used.

It seemed a flicker of fear may have crossed his face since one of the orcs cackled giving him a violent shove forward. "You afraid, scum? You should be."

Legolas didn't give them the satisfaction of an answer. He was afraid. He was terrified. But his expression fell back to the default iciness he'd copied from his father.

It took two of them to drag him across the room to the fall wall and another to pin him against it in order for them to shackle his feet. The chains were maybe two feet long, attached to the stone wall.

The feel of the heavy steel weighed on his soul. Elves were not meant to be treated this way. Confinement and darkness could do serious harm over long periods of time. But Legolas couldn't to let them break him. He was stronger than that. He was stronger than them. He would not show them weakness.

Once the orcs were sure he was restrained they cut the ropes binding his wrists. It was the last mistake that particular orc ever made. As soon as his arms were free, the elf prince wasted no time in snapping the creature's neck. It was dead before it hit the ground.

Quickly, the remaining two were on him. With his movement severely restricted he could use no foot work, dodge no attack nor slip away. So while he grappled with the first there was no way he could dodge the seconds attack. He grunted when the fist connected with his face, falling back against the wall for support as stars danced across his blackened vision.  
The two remaining orcs used this opportunity to restrain his arms, shackling them above his head before he could use them as weapons again. Shaking off the dizziness the elf let out a yell of anger, tugging at the shackles. They held fast, the steel biting into his skin as painfully as they bit into his soul.

One of the orcs punched him again for good measure before finally stepping away. Legolas had taken so many blows to the head in the past twenty four hours it was amazing he still had the ability to think straight. He leaned his head back blinking his eyes and taking a deep breath as the pain swelled behind his temple. Finally he squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head as the pain dissipated.

When he opened them again and raised his gaze he was alone. Well…save for the dead orc still at his feet. Studying the room only caused dread to build within him as his mind ran scenarios of what they would do to him, of the manner they would use all of those wicked instruments in. So instead he shut his eyes and tried to think of home; of the elegant halls, of his father, his friends, of Tauriel….

Where was she…..?

...

Wearing full armor and armed to the teeth, the elf king himself was preparing to lead a party on the hunt to save his son. Not much would cause him to leave his self-pronounced seclusion of the forest. But Legolas was precious to him, more precious that any gem or treasure in the halls of Erebor, even more precious than his own life.

Legolas was alive. He had to be. He could feel it. But for how much longer he did not know. It was why he himself was going on this quest. He would trust no one save himself to rescue his son. And he would be damned before he failed to do so.

Moving with urgency a large party of elves prepared themselves to leave. It had only taken an hour, perhaps two to prepare for battle but even that was too long. Thranduil feared the worst.

So when the party left they moved quickly. It was already nearing sunset before they were riding along the edge of Mirkwood, following the cooling trail the wargs had left.

...

The captive elf wasn't waiting long before he was joined by another orc. Opening his blue eyes he glared at the creature in anger and defiance. It was the orc commander that had defeated him.

"I was looking forward to killing Oakenshield." The creature spoke, shooting him a glare as he lumbered over to a table. "But because you delayed us they reached the mountain."

Legolas still didn't speak and only watched the orc while trying to keep the nervousness off his face. The task got even more difficult when his eyes fell on what the orc had picked up. "I get an even better job now." He spoke, the cruelty in his voice obvious. "I get to break you."

The elf barly had time to ready himself before the first lash of the whip fell across his chest. It would have been bad enough had it been a regular whip but this one seemed to have steel blades weaved into the leather. Legolas cried out despite himself, clenching his hands into fists. The lash had ripped through both layers of his tunic as well as his skin, causing blood to well and soak into the green fabric.

The prince was ready for the next lash when it fell, and then next, and the next, and was able to silence himself. But it was all he could do not to cry out. He'd never felt anything like this, of course he'd had small injuries before while out on missions when he was a lot younger. But this pain was beyond any of that.

By the time Bolg stopped his assault the elf's tunic was completely shredded, as was his chest. About half way through Legolas had drawn his mind into himself, distancing himself from the physical pain that he was enduring. His body hung limp in the chains and his head bowed, resting on his chest.

Swallowing, Legolas revived himself, shuddering a breath and opening his eyes to glare up at the creature. The bleeding lashes across his skin burned as if they were on fire, but he would endure. He would not be broken.

The orc bared his teeth in return to the glare. "You think you're strong enough to last?" The creature growled out at him. "I'm only just getting started."

...

Tauriel sat alone in the corner of a cell down in the dungeons of the woodland realm, the same dungeon where Kili had sat not days before.

But her mind was not on Kili, he would be ok now. Her mind was on Legolas. Her friend. This was her fault….It was all she could do not to lay her head in her hands and release her sorrow. But that would not help the prince.

Thranduil himself had ridden out to the rescue. But Tauriel couldn't help but feel that it should be her. She was the one who had gotten Legolas into the mess, she was the one who had brought him to that town and that failed to assist him in that battle. It should be her to save him.

But there was nothing she could do locked in the cell. That was why she quietly waited for the patrolman to pass before drawing a key from deep within her clothing. She had been captain of the guard for centuries. Of course she had keys to the cells. The guards just hadn't expected it.

Unlocking the door, she let herself out and then stole through the palace. Dodging both patrolmen and citizens of the realm, she finally made it to the front gate only to realize that it was closed. No one came or went without the king's approval and she most certainly did not have the king's approval. She crouched on a high overhang for a moment trying to figure out how to leave.

Although they knew her and were loyal to her the gatekeepers were probably under orders not to let her leave. She was supposed to be in the dungeons after all.

It was then that an idea donned on her. There was another way out. A passage so overlooked that thirteen dwarves managed to escape the elven stronghold before they were even found out.

Turning away from the front gate, Tauriel made her way towards the cellar and the river exit.

...

When the dwarf finally emerged from the forest the moon shone far above in the sky. It must be what….midnight perhaps. Earlier? Later? It was impossible to tell. Mirkwood forest seemed to suck all sense of time and direction out of you.

But Fili had made it and that was all that mattered. It was a crumbling stone palace with jutting towers and overgrown plant life sitting on the top of a high point of the forest. From where the young dwarf hid it appeared to be abandoned….but he somehow knew better. Those orcs had gone inside. They might have watchmen or guards.

Fili turned away from the fortress trying to contemplate his next move. Tauriel had told him to wait for her, to refrain from attacking the orc party. He knew she was right, that he wouldn't be able to lead a rescue alone. But that didn't mean he couldn't get closer and see if he could spot her captured friend.

So with as much stealth as a dwarf can muster, Fili stole across the short expanse before slipping into the shadows of a stone pillar. But as soon as his feet crossed the threshold of the fortress whatever spell that has been put on it lifted. Orcs prowled in innermost areas of the fortress and he could see sentries every here and there. Not to mention horrible sounds were escaping from the depths of the small castle; screeches and howls and the sounds of weapons being made.

He stood completely still, a frown on his face and eyes wide as he tried to decide what to do. He most DEFINITELY could not lead a rescue by himself. He was trying to decide if he should slip back into the forest again to wait when he heard a quiet voice rasp above him. "Fili?"

The young dwarf nearly jumped a foot, his body slamming against the stone pillar in surprise as he looked up. Above him were 3 or 4 cages that appeared to have been created to house prisoners. One of them was actually serving its purpose.

It took a moment staring with a shocked expression before he would actually believe what his eyes were seeing. "Gan….dalf?"

...  
**AUTHORS NOTES**

I kind of have an idea of how things will go down now. But it's not pinned down at all yet. So if my story seems kinda choppy that would be why.  
I'm also not the nest at writing multiple points of view. I usually do one or two. But here you have like 6 so...whoop.

Sorry Legolas. But you had to see this coming. It's ME after all.

Stay tuned. I'll try to keep up motivation. I hate to see stories unfinished.


	4. Chapter 4

"W-What are you doing here?" Fili could barely straighten his thoughts. How did their friend end up in this predicament? Glancing around nervously he made sure there were no guards or patrolmen watching before climbing higher towards Gandalf.

"Me?" The wizard said incredulously in a hushed tone. "As pleased as I am to see you, what are you doing here? It's much too dangerous." He threaded his fingers through the wrought iron bars as his weary eyes met the dwarfs.

"I'm here to rescue a prisoner they have. Not you though, an elf. Well, of course had we known you'd been here we probably would have come to rescue you too…" After a moment he stopped speaking, realizing that he was blathering on because of the nerves. Having climbed until he was just outside the cage he crouched in the shadows, glancing around once more. "I'm going to try and get you out…."

The wizard frowned at the young dwarf, eyes darting around the fortress in search of guards. An elf? "I believe I saw the elf you speak of. They brought him in much earlier this night."

Fili set his jaw as he got to work on the lock, pulling out tools and attempting to pick it. "Was he alive? Was he ok?" If the elf had already been here for hours who knew what could have already happened to him. Maybe there wasn't time to wait for back up. "And how in the world did you get yourself in here? I thought you were all powerful?"

Gandalf shot the dwarf an irritated look at the words. "I came here because there is something evil afoot, something bigger than you, me or Thorin's mission to reclaim Erebor. A great darkness that hasn't been seen for an age has resurfaced. Yesterday an army set out from this fortress, the evil presence that defeated me with it." The wizard paused considering that options. "There are considerably fewer enemies here now than there have been since I arrived. Your elf looked to be ok when he arrived. And if we're going to rescue him now would probably be the best time."

The young dwarf listened to Gandalf speak nervously as he finally managed to pick the lock. It would have been much easier to just smash it open but the noise would probably have drawn every orc in the place. "An army…." This news made Fili very uneasy. What evil presence, where was that army going? Giving his head a shake he focused his mind at the problem at hand. The army was gone and they had an elf to save. "At least there will be fewer enemies…"

Gandalf climbed gratefully out of the cage, darting into the shadow of the stone pillar to join Fili before attempting to stretch his stiff limbs. "Ok. Now who is this elf you are so set on saving?" Really, the entire situation shocked the wizard. Not in a bad way, just in a confused way; Fili, nephew of Thorin, wanting to rescue an elf?

"His friend saved Kili from poison. Now I'm helping her save her him from being killed. She was supposed to meet me but never showed up." Fili spoke quietly. This place unnerved him. And even with Gandalf now here, being without Kili still didn't feel right.

"Ah." Gandalf wanted more of an explanation than that but understood that this was a rather time sensitive mission. It was difficult to say how much longer the fortress would be so undermanned, as well as how long the captive elf would be alive.

...

Legolas hung limp in the chains, pain wracking his body. The hours that dragged on felt like days as the orc found new ways of causing him pain. Sometime during the third hour his resolve had finally broken and despite himself ended screaming his throat raw.

So when the orc finally left him beaten and broken, the prince shuddered a breath of relief. The pain was unbearable, yet in this situation he had no choice but to bare it. Trying to keep his breathing steady and his mind calm, he did a quick assessment of how badly he was injured.

In reality he had only been at the hands of the orc commander for perhaps 5….6 hours, yet the extent of damage that had been done was staggering. His upper body was now completely bare, the remains of his tunic littering the floor at his feet. Shallow lacerations from the whip littered both his chest and his back. They had stopped bleeding a while back yet still burned with pain as if they were on fire. And then there were the burns that littered his chest neck and hands, created using red hot steel.

At some point there had been boiling water tossed at him leaving most of his skin red and raw, but what had been most painful was when it ran into the open wounds. He thought he remembered that it was at that point that he could not stay silent. There was only so much a person could take, even an elf with as strong a will as he. But just because they had broken his silence did not mean they had broken his spirit.

Legolas squeezed his eyes closed, trying to shut out the pain. Blood from an ugly laceration on his face stung his eyes which was difficult to ignore.

He stayed like this for quite some time, before eventually trying to get his feet under him and keep the weight off his arms. Every sound that echoed through the fortress made him tense in fear that it was Bolg returning to continue his fun.

A very quiet scrape of boots on stone caught his attention. Cracking his bloodshot blue eyes open he silently and fearfully stared at the staircase to his right where the sound had originated. But to his complete and utter shock it was not orcs that emerged from the passage but a man and a dwarf.

He immediately recognized the both of them; the dwarf had been part of Oakenshield's party and one of the few who had been holed up in Lake town, the man had been the prisoner he had seen caged outside.

But….why were they…here?  
It had taken the tiny party of two nearly two hours of stealth and slow moving to traverse the fortress unseen, not to mention finding the dungeon. Fili had not feared repercussions of being seen by a guard of two until Gandalf explained that he could not use magic without his staff. Therefore they had decided moving in the shadows unseen was probably their best bet. Thankfully it paid off.

When Fili cautiously exited the narrow staircase leading to the dungeon, the sight that met him left him horrified and ill. Was this truly the same elf who had confronted them in the forest? He had been so noble and proud, strong and seemingly impossible to bring down. But this sad creature looked barely alive. If not for the eye trained on them, he would have assumed that he was dead.

"Wh-" Legolas started but the words failed in his raw throat. He coughed roughly before trying again. "Why are you here…." He barely sounded like himself, the words coming out in a croaking rasp.

"Don't speak." The wizard spoke softly as the two approached quickly. "We've come to rescue you."

Despite everything, Legolas couldn't help but be skeptical. Why would a dwarf want to rescue him? He was the one who had captured their party in the woods. It was his father who had held them prisoner. But he wasn't about to start asking questions, mostly because he was so exhausted, both mentally and physically. Not to mention the amount of pain he was it.

It was almost unreal for the elf when Fili started to lock pick the shackles around his ankles. But after a minute he stood and shook his head, glancing up at Gandalf with fearful eyes. "These locks are odd. They're not like the ones I'm used to."

The wizard looked to the elf and then to the dwarf with a determined expression before glancing around the room. Maybe….just maybe they keys were being kept close by. After a moment of nervous tension he spotted them tossed carelessly on a wooden table.

Moving as silently as possible he retrieved them, cringing when they jangled loudly. All three in the room held their breath as if waiting for guards to rush to the sound.

A minute passed in silence and Fili was just about to let out his breath when a rush of loud footsteps could be heard at the main staircase. Freezing again, the dwarf stared up at the wizard in fear. Gandalf paused for a moment unsure of himself. Should they hide? Fight? Run? They couldn't just leave the poor elf to a fate which was surely worse than death.

Thankfully he didn't have to make the decision when the distant sounds of loud shouts sounded outside. Whoever had been heading down the stairs stopped short and turned, rushing back up the steps and towards the sound.

Gandalf spared no time, rushing to unlock the shackles restraining the elf. Legolas watched the man move with a mix of distrust and thankfulness in his eyes. This couldn't really be happening, could it? It must be some trick….But sure enough after a moment the bite of the steel was no longer there. Wavering on his feet for a moment it was all he could do to stand. The entirety of his strength has been spent on enduring and surviving the torture he had just gone through.

To his disdain, when he did waver the dwarf was there to steady him. Any other time he would have pushed the creature away, but in this instance he said nothing. He was too injured to argue and knew deep down that he would not be able to make it if not for assistance. In fact he was beyond relieved and knew that he would be forever in the debt of these two, whoever they were.

Gandalf then spoke. "Whatever is happening outside is in our favor. The orcs attention is being drawn. It is the perfect opportunity to make our escape." The wizard wracked his brain and could think of no explanation as to the battle going on outside. But whatever it was it came at the best possible time.

Carefully, he took the elf's arm to assist him in walking. Legolas grimaced in pain for a moment before nodding to the wizard in thanks. If it would get him out of this place he would have even accepted the dwarf's help.

Just as quietly but reasonably more quickly, the now party of three stole out of the fortress using the back exit. They only came across one of two enemies who quickly rushed by them as they hid to join whatever battle that was being raged at the front door.

It wasn't long before the sound of battle and the ominous shape of Dor Guldur was far behind them.

...  
**AUTHORS NOTES**

Ok. Ok. So I know what I'm doing now. Mostly.  
Sorry for inconsistencies with timelines and such. Things are happening differently then the movie but I couldn't think of any other way to make things work so...whoops. Oh well.

A bit shorter of a chapter but it I wrote the next part it would be a LONG chapter and I wanted to get it out in time for it to be my Christmas gift to all my wonderful readers and reviewers. You're feedback really fuels me to continue writing this, so thank you to those who have reviewed!

I'm pretty prolific when it comes to getting chapters out so expect the next one in one to two days. 


	5. Chapter 5

As Thranduil's large elven search party followed the tracks left by the wargs it became all too clear where they were heading. His heart dropped as the image of his son imprisoned in Dor Guldur entered his mind.

What made everything worse was what the orc had said. The one had returned. _Sauron._ It made him wonder if the beginnings of this evil had started in the abandoned fortress. Tauriel had tried to convince him to attack Dor Guldur early on. Clear the spiders at their source. Had he listened would things have been different? Would he have been able to stop this?

Now riding through the woodland path, the elf king picked up speed, pushing his horse to move as fast as possible. At that pace it only took an hour more to reach the old fortress and as the elves dismounted it first appeared that it was empty.

But after a moment that proved very wrong. There was a sudden yell as orcs flooded out of the stone walls, effectively bringing down the spell that had been weakly holding.

With an icy expression Thranduil unsheathed his sword, Orcrist, the blade that he had reclaimed from that damned dwarf. Moving as fluidly as water, he met the first foe who rushed him, taking no time to cut the orc down and move onto the next.

There were many enemies, but there were also many elves. The shouts and clamor of battle spilled into the fortress itself as Thandruil kept his goal in mind. Find his son.

Just as he easily dodged a sloppy attack and beheaded the aggressor, a massive orc rounded the corner in front of him. Retaking his stance, the elf king glared at the creature. "You have a prisoner here. Give him to me and I will call off this attack." He was here for Legolas, no other reason. But he very mush doubted the orc would take the offer and had no qualms about slaughtering the entire contents of this fortress to find his son. It mattered not to him.

The orc grunted at him, baring a set of disgusting teeth in some sick form of grin. "He's dead." Bolg recognized this elf if only because of his fame. "I tortured and killed him." This was a lie of course. But he was in this to cause as many elves as much pain as possible.

Thranduil's icy calm expression broke, turning to one of fiery fury. With unnatural speed, the elf king attacked, surprising Bolg into a defensive stance. The orc blocked each rapid fire attack with great difficulty before finally finding a second to send one of his own blows forward. When the brute force of the massive blade connected with Orcrist it sent Thranduil stumbling back.

This was all the orc commander needed to change the tides of the battle, now putting the elf on defense. Bolgs attacks may have brute strength behind them but they were slow and sloppy, easy to dodge and spin away from which Thanduil did. Moving with the ease of the wind, he dodged a hard swing of the orcs blade before stepping forward and dragging his sword across the orcs side.

Bolg gave an angry howl and swung backwards without even turning. The blow actually managed to catch Thranduil off guard, connecting with his armored shoulder and sending him spinning backwards. As both parties regained their composure, Thranduil managed to recover much quicker. Shaking off the blow he flew forward again to attack. Bolg turned, blocking the attack.

"It's a pity your friend couldn't fight as well as you." Bolg jeered at the elf king. "Maybe I wouldn't have beaten him so badly."

This only set Thranduil's blood ablaze. But rather than making his attacks sloppy and uncoordinated in anger like Bolg had intended, they only came faster with more fury. The orc was only able to block so many before Orcrist was embedded in his chest.

Baring his teeth, Thanduil was about to pull his blade away when the orc grabbed him by the shoulder, sending a blow into the shocked elf's face before letting go. As the elf king stumbled back dazed, Bolg pulled Orcrist from his chest with a grunt. Although he was now moving considerably slower and was bleeding out, Bolg now had the elf's weapon. Stepping forward he closed in on his opponent.

Thanduil shook off the daze in time to see the orc stepping forward. Narrowing his eyes in anger he moved moved as well. Spinning away from the swing of both swords, he grabbed hold of the orcs iron armor, swinging himself onto its back. It only took him about two seconds to have a set of twin knives unsheathed and see the orcs head separated from its body.

When Bolgs lumbering form fell dead to the ground Thanduil spared not a moment before retrieving Orcist and continuing his search. He refused to believe that that orc was telling the truth. His son couldn't be dead. It was a lie. It had to be a lie.

Most orcs were now felled by the elves, leaving a clear path for Thranduil to enter the fortress. Jogging through the endless halls and turns, the elf king desperately searched for some sign of Legolas. The fortress was a maze; all of the halls looked the same, the stone paths easily able to confuse someone who was not familiar with them.

Now frustrated in both fear for his son and anger at the orcs who had been holed up here, Thranduil found himself bolting down a narrow staircase. He stopped dead at the bottom of the steps, surveying the room with an increasingly horrified expression.

Moving forward he swallowed the panic that rose within him. This chamber was one of nightmares. After a moment he then noticed something that made his blood run cold and breath hitch. Brows drawing together in fear he slowly stepped forward, both not wanting to look and needing to confirm if it was true.

Near a set of shackles by the far wall was a pool of blood, and scattered on the ground near it were blood soaked shreds of what appeared to be an elven tunic.

He couldn't breathe…He couldn't think….this….this could not be. Falling to his knees in devastation, the elf king reached forward and retrieved one of the bloodstained pieces of cloth. Turning it over in his hands he stared down at it before letting out a terrible scream of anguish.

Blond hair dishevelled and falling forwards into his face, Thanduil did not move for a long while, only knelt there, shoulders drooping, staring down at the pool of blood. It took a while but finally he stood, his mind numb with shock and sorrow as he slowly looked around for a body. He was dazed, the anguish leaving him dizzy and reeling, barely able to function.

Where was….where was his sons body….Where had they taken it….It had to be somewhere….

Eventually a small group of elven guards finally found their king. Considering the room and the expression on Thanduils face it didn't take long for them to come to the same conclusion the royal elf had. Their prince was dead.

A couple of them slowly and gently ushered the shocked king out before setting to look for the body of their fallen prince. Still clutching the bloodied fabric in his hands, Thranduil barely recognized what was happening but followed his soldiers gentle nudging regardless. His son was gone….nothing mattered.

When they finally exited the fortress which was now emptied of orcs, Tranduils manner and expression told the elven party all they needed to know. They stood in silence, heads bowed in sorrow at the loss of their prince.

…..  
After escaping the woodland realm, Tauriel ran as fast as she could. It took her much longer than she had hoped to 'borrow' a horse and head off in search of Legolas and her king.

Riding through the night her thoughts raced as fast as her hose did. Regret and shame at what had happened filled her; fear for her friend….If anyone would be able to rescue Legolas it would be Thranduil. But what if he was too late? What if her detour to tell him the news had used the few precious hours Legolas had had left?

Swallowing her fear and attempting to banish the dark thoughts from her mind, Tauriel rode on.

By the time she finally followed the tracks of Thranduils search party to Dor Guldur, dawn was already on the horizon, the sky just showing the very first light of day. Dismounting, she sent her horse back to its master before taking the last couple minutes of the journey on foot.

From up ahead she could hear the snorts of horses and the sound of people moving… but it was too quiet. Movement caught her eyes on the path ahead and she quickly decided to dart into the forest and hide. Peaking from around a tree she watched, expression growing slowly afraid when she realized it was the elven party leaving. Eyes wide, she studied their solemn faces, filled with sadness. Understanding crept into her that grew slowly until it solidified with the sight of the king. Astride his horse, it seemed that any want he had for life was gone. Head down, his sorrow filled eyes never left whatever he was grasping in his hands. Tauriel couldn't see what it was from the distance but she could guess.

Letting out a shaking breath, she collapsed to the ground, allowing the tears to finally fall from her eyes. She had failed him…Her prince, her friend…. He was dead because she had failed to come to his aide.

Briefly she wondered where Fili was, another friend she had left without backup. He wasn't with the elves so he must either be either hiding in Dor Guldur or…dead somewhere… She was sure Kili would never forgive her if she had gotten him killed too. Swallowing her tears she waited for Thranduils party to leave before slowly stepping out of the woods.

Turning towards the old fortress she wasn't surprised to find the remains of a battle when she arrived. Orcs littered the ground everywhere, easier to see in the brighter light of the quickly rising sun. Looking them over to make sure none of the bodies belonged to a dwarf, Tauriel eventually wandered into the fortress itself.

It was eerie and still had an evil aura, even abandoned like it now was. She knew that despite the slaughter that had happened today there would be orcs here again soon enough. They never seemed fond of giving up their strongholds. But for now, she used the opportunity to look around in search of the dwarf.

After a thorough search of the stronghold she finally stumbled across the same thing Thranduil had. Breath hitching in her throat when she saw the contents of the room, she fearfully entered. Moving slowly she took in everything before her vision focused on the shackles on the far wall.

Covering her mouth with her hand, tears slipped from her eyes. She imagined Legolas chained there, tortured….how afraid he must have been….the pain he had went through. She could barely breathe when she saw the ripped and bloody pieces of elvish cloth on the blood soaked ground.

Bowing her head she stood in silence in memory of her friend before turning and quickly leaving, unable to bear the sight of where he had perished any longer.

Exiting the fortress she stood out in the morning sun attempting to calm her thoughts. There was no sign of Fili amongst the bodies in the fortress, nor was there any sign of any living creature. Perhaps he had watched the elves come to the rescue and then decided to leave? She had told him to wait for back up before he made a move….Perhaps he had realized that Thranduil needed no assistance and just went back to find his brother.

Praying that that was the case Tauriel spent another moment glancing around the tree line before walking away down the path in defeat.

...  
**AUTHORS NOTES**

Not one but two chapters in time for Christmas? :3 It's because now that I know where I'm going with it the flow is coming a little easier. I don't have to spend so much time pissing around while I try and think of what next.

Next chapter should be up tomorrow, if not the next day.

I send my love to all of you who are following and reviewing and just generally enjoying this. Happy holidays!

(Also, sorry for spelling or grammatical errors. I read these buggers through about 4 times before I post them and so many things slip past my guard. Probably because I write and edit while half asleep...)


	6. Chapter 6

Moving through the forest was extremely slow going, even though they weren't fleeing very far. Only far enough away to get out of earshot of the battle that raged. Every step was agony for the elf but he put on a brave face. He didn't want to show more weakness than he already was.

But that didn't stop the gratefulness played across his features when they finally stopped. Letting go of his grasp on the older man's grey robes, Legolas collapsed tiredly to the ground. It hurt to stand, it hurt to sit, it even hurt to use his hands which were burned in some places.

"We should be safe here for a little while." Gandalf spoke, eyes darting around the forest nervously for a moment before turning to the elf. "What's your name?"

"Legolas." Was all he was able to bite out considering he was out of breath, in pain, and exhausted.

Fili knelt down beside him, getting a closer look at the wounds before shooting worried eyes up at Gandalf. Taking Fili's silent request, the wizard also knelt down before him. "I recognize that name. You are the child of king Thanduil, prince of the woodland realm…." Gandalf's words were a mere distraction so he could to get a close look at the injuries.

The dwarf raised his brows looking from the elf to Gandalf and then back to the elf. Legolas….prince of mirkwood? This was their prince? He supposed he could have believed it when they were first captured. But now? This poor creature looked nothing like royalty.

Legolas only furrowed his brow and laid his head back on the tree, shutting his eyes. "You have heard of me yet, I do not know who you are." His voice came as a quiet rasp. His mind was fading fast, he could feel it. Since he was now out of immediate danger the exhaustion was taking hold, threatening to pull him into unconsciousness.

"I am Gandalf the grey, Mithrandir if you like." The wizard's voice was deep and soothing and in moments, Legolas fell unconscious and limp at their feet.

Frowning, the grey robed man quickly laid a hand on the prince's bloodied forehead, closing his eyes as he whispered some spell. "Fili, quickly, take off your shirt." Some of these wounds needed caring for immediately and without proper bandages, any fabric would have to do.

Moving with deliberate precision, the wizard quickly attempted to tend to Legolas' wounds while he was unconscious. But even he wasn't as sure of himself then he normally was. Some of these injuries….they needed better caring for than he could give, even with the subtle nudge of his magic. Not to mention they didn't have any real bandages or herbs out stranded in the forest like they were.

After he did what he could, Gandalf sat back, rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand. "Gandalf….is he going to be ok?" Fili looked down at the fallen elf with a worried frown. He'd never seen anyone take quite a beating like that and come out of it. In fact he'd never seen anyone take a beating quite like that at all. Fili had to give him credit, a deep respect for the elf growing within him. If anything could be said about this 'Legolas' was that he had a strong will.

The wizard looked down at the elf with concern in his eyes. "We cannot linger here for much longer. If he does not get proper attention soon then he will not last."

Fili frowned deeply at this. After everything he'd gone through, he was NOT going to let this elf die. "Then let's get moving Gandalf….get him out of here."

Gandalf thought for a moment. Yes…but how. Fili was strong but too small to carry the elf very far. And he had not the stamina to do so either. He would not call upon the eagles again; he was already too far in their debt. But there was still one ally he could call upon yet.

Standing, he glanced around the dark woods before shutting his eyes and chanting a short spell. A minute passed….and then another minute….until finally a small movement came from their right. Fili nearly jumped a foot before he realized it was only a hare. Ragged and missing fur, the creature hopped over to the wizard cautiously as Gandalf crouched down to meet it.

After whispering something Fili could not hear into its ear, the wizard stood and watched it bound off. "Now all we have to do is wait." He spoke before sitting down beside the elf once more.

They stayed like that for an hour, the wizard with his hand laid over the elf's eyes, whispering what could be assumed to be a spell and Fili looking down with a furrowed brow. Despite all of the time spend waiting he never did wake up.

A sudden crash through the trees brought both of them to their feet, prepared for the worst. But as it neared Gandalf smiled slightly letting down his guard. A massive rabbit drawn sleigh suddenly launched through the trees not ten feet away and off hopped a man Fili realized he recognized.

"Radagast." The tone in which Gandalf spoke emanated urgency.

"Gandalf." The brown wizard leapt forward, eyes trained on the injured elf. "What happened Gandalf. I thought you wanted me to take word to the lady Galadriel. Was it a trap? How did you escape?"

The grey wizard brushed off the questions, shaking his head at his friend. "I will explain it all to you later but for right now we need your help." He motioned down towards Legolas.

Radagast paused for a moment looking from the wide eyed dwarf to the other wizard to the elf on the ground before jumping to it. He was better at medicinal magic and healing and Gandalf knew it. If there was any person who could save the life of the Mirkwood prince it would be the brown wizard.

Taking a moment to assess his new patient, the eccentric wizard let out a hiss of breath. "This is not good; this is not good at all." He jabbered to himself before jumping up. "We must get him to my home. It's not far from here by sleigh."  
Leaning down he took the elf by the shoulders, staring at Fili expectantly before the dwarf jumped to help. Together they carried him to the sleigh. "I cannot carry all of you, maybe just the elf and the dwarf." His words were spoken fast and with fear.

"Go." Gandalf waved his hand. He did in fact have business to take care of after all. Sauran was on the move. Armies were marching out….and he needed to figure out exactly was going on. "Fili. Be careful. I will see you again soon, I'm sure."

Fili barely had time to wave a hand goodbye at his friend and take hold of both the elf and the sleigh before they were off. The ride was rough, and the dwarf tried his best to keep the worst bumps from finding their way to Legolas, but at least they made good time.

Travelling now was so very different then when Thorins party had come through these woods. Unlike Thorin, Radagast knew the area and was not affected by whatever spell the forest put on you.

Letting out a breath of relief when they arrived at the ramshackle little home, Fili quickly jumped to help the brown wizard carry him inside. Resting Legolas on a low cot, the young dwarf finally got a good look around the shack. It was full of herbs and plants and bobbles and bottles and all manners of shiny stones. He was just glancing around in awe when hands fell on his shoulders ushering him out.

"This is serious business, very tiring and hard to get right. A very delicate process." Radagast jabbered on as he pushed Fili out the door. "I will tell you when I'm finished." And with that the door was shut and Fili was left standing out in the creepy forest. At least the sun peaked through the trees in this particular area telling him that it was probably already around noon.

With a sigh he sat on the step to wait.

….  
In not much of a rush, Tauriel took her time making her way back to Lake Town. Unfortunately on the day long journey back it gave her a lot of time to think.

The first decision she had to make was what she would do now? Returning home would be nothing but a death sentence. And although she knew in her heart that it was her fault that Legolas was killed she still clung to the idea of life. She wasn't ready to walk into her own demise.

But if she was not going to go home then where WOULD she go? Her thoughts immediately jumped to Kili, the young charming and relatively handsome dwarf. Would his party accept her? Or an even better question to ask herself was, would she actually be able to live with a party of dwarfs?

The choice was difficult already, but there was also the shame and anguish she felt about her friend's death. Everything together, all the thoughts just created a swirling pool of unrest in her mind. She could barely even keep track of time.

So when she looked up and already saw the sun setting over the lake of lake town, shock played across her features. But it wasn't only that. The city that was supposed to be jutting from the middle of the lake was nothing but smouldering ash, smoke rising from where it used to stand.

Staring at it in disbelief, her eyes moved right towards the shore. Camps had already sprung up in the distance which she moved towards. Waterlogged and weary people wandered the shore. The sound of wails and cries came from all around as parentless children and children-less parents searched for their families. Wounded people sat everywhere, baskets of belongings littering the ground.

Tauriel moved through them as if she were in just as much shock as they. What had happened? How did this happen? The world spun around her, the cries and the smoke and the injured faces all spinning into one until clarity snapped into place.

She prayed that whatever had happened, Kili and his companions had escaped in time. She would look for them, but first, she could be useful here. Adopting a determined expression she moved to begin help with setting up the camp and also with healing those injured the best she could.

…  
Fili was actually becoming very concerned now that the sun started to lower itself in the sky. He was tempted to start pounding on the door and asking questions but he also didn't want to interrupt the wizards 'delicate' process.

Finally when he thought he could stand the waiting no longer, Radagast opened the door and allowed him inside. Immediately, the dwarfs eyes sought out the elf who was still on the cot. His wounds were cleaned and properly bandaged. But when he moved closer for a proper inspection it hit him that these wounds were much further healed then they ought to be.

With wide eyes, Fili brushed the dishevelled blond hair off the elf's forehead to take a closer look at the awful laceration that had been there earlier. But now it looked like an already healing wound. He let out a short laugh in disbelief before turning his eyes to the smug looking wizard. "This is amazing. He looked close to death not hours ago."

"It was nothing, it was nothing." Radagast brushed the flattery off with a wave of his hand. He was not used to people complimenting his work. In fact he was not used to people. Or dwarves….neither did he really enjoy their company. But he DID enjoy a good story, particularly when that story ended with an elf that was in dire need of healing. "So tell me. How did this elf end up in quite this situation, hm?"

Fili pursed his lips wondering where to even BEGIN that tale. With his uncles quest? No…that was too long. With the elves? Yes…yes, that was a little better.

So with that he sat and regaled the brown wizard with the tale of what he and his company had been through. Radagast leaned into the story, hanging off of every word until it was finished. "That's quite the tale." He sat back before turning his eyes to the elf who still lay unconscious. "Poor lad…I've never seen anything quite as bad as that." In truth he actually had wondered if he would be able to help.

A quiet groan perked both the dwarf and the wizard up and both rose from their seats quickly. Fili rushed to the elf's cot in time to see him open his eyes. "Where am I?" His voice was still raw and sore but overall he didn't quite feel like death anymore.

Radagast appeared suddenly with a cup clutched in his hand. "Here, drink this. It will help." Taking the cup, Legolas did not question, only took a sip. Unable to really pinpoint if the liquid was bitter or sweet he finished the brew and handed it back.

Fili then spoke up. "I thought we were going to lose you for a second."

Legolas set his blue eyes on the dwarf, furrowing his brow slightly. "I don't understand." He spoke quietly, trying to preserve his voice. "Why would you help me? My kin and I did nothing but harm to you."

Fili shook his head. "No. Your companion saved my brother's life. That's as good as it can get in my books." Kili would have undoubtedly died without Tauriels help.

"Tauriel?" Legolas' head jerked to the side to get a better look at the dwarf. Save his brother's life…He vaguely remembered the orc mentioning having poisoned one of Thorins party….and then when they had fought off the orc party in that house….Everything clicked into place. "Why send you? Why not come herself?" It was the only question that burned inside him. He no longer felt hatred for the dwarf, just confusion and ager as to why the person who was supposed to be his friend didn't seem to lift a finger to help during the entire situation.

"When the orc showed up with your sword, Tauriel and I tried to track you. But when we finally found the tracks the wargs left she decided to ride back to the woodland realm to ask for help. She said she would meet me at the end of the tracks with back up but no one ever did." Fili paused for a moment when he saw the hurt flash across the elf's eyes before disappearing behind an emotionless mask. "It was then that I found Gandalf and we decided to rescue you. Radagast we called for help after you passed out in the woods."

The brown wizard raised a hand and smiled at his name being mentioned.

Legolas looked away and swallowed. No one ever came? What had happened to Tauriel? Where had his father been? With clenched teeth, he rolled over, turning his back to the two. "I'm very sorry, I need rest." This was no lie considering how exhausted he still felt. As painful as his injuries still were after a careful assessment he was amazed to find them already beginning to heal. But the relief from the physical pain did not relieve him of the emotional pain.

Not that he wasn't grateful to Fili and Radagst, but why had it been left to two wizards and a dwarf to save his life?

Fili shot the brown wizard a look before turning away with a frown. Legolas was upset and he could understand why. Where HAD Tauriel gone off to? Why hadn't she shown up?

**AUTHORS NOTES**

Aaahh characters, characters, why are you so hard to write? I hope I did ok. I came across a glitch in my plot plan but I worked it out when I remember that Radagast existed.

I'm really on a roll with writing but I'm back to work tomorrow so I probably won't get the next won't out until the day after since I won't even be able to start the next chapter until tomorrow at midnight. (Friday)

Again, thank you my lovlies for reviewing! This one didn't have much action but I swear it'll pick up soon.


	7. Chapter 7

Tauriel walked through the Lake Town camp which had grown in both size and desperation. And it was all thanks to Smaug the terrible whose body now rested in the lake. Food was running low, as were supplies. Shelter was hard to come by and the autumn chill was growing in the air. If not for the supplies that the Woodland realm sent down the river many people would probably have died. But as it was there had been no other sign of the elves. She began to wonder if this was Thranduil's order, secluding himself even further after the loss of his son.

After doing her rounds to all of the injured people she had ended up helping in her few days there, the auburn haired elf finally returned back to her own camp. Well, it wasn't just her own camp. As she stepped towards the comforting glow of the fire in the darkening light she was met by the smiling face of Kili, which was soon joined by both Bofur and Oin.

Setting herself down beside the dark haired archer, she frowned into the fire before turning sad eyes to Kili. "No sign of him today?"

The dark haired dwarf shook her head, his smile fading. "No…"

When Tauriel had finally found the three dwarves along with Bard's children a couple days previous she had been praying that she would find Fili along with them. But unfortunately he had been nowhere to be found. Even now, three days later he hadn't yet reappeared. Silently she turned her gaze away from the dwarves in sadness only to have Kili elbow her.

"I've told you before. It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself." He spoke giving her a reassuring smile. "It was Fili's choice to go with you. You just did what you had to do." He would turn up, Kili was sure of it. If something had happened to his brother he would know.

This was also one of the only reasons they still lingered in Lake Town. Kili was well enough now to join Thorin and the rest of their companions at the mountain but he refused to go without Fili. Also there seemed to be a lot of trouble there in the past days. With Smaug gone, the men of Lake Town and the dwarves were having a face off. Or at least that was what the gossip seemed to tell.

Either way, the small group of dwarves stayed, helping rebuild the town in any way that they could, assisting in preparations for the winter. Their help was probably the only reason they hadn't been completely ran out of town what with the involvement their companions had in waking the dragon and destroying their homes in the first place.

Tauriel sighed, about to turn and speak to Kili when she sensed something not quite right. Suddenly she flung herself at the dwarf beside her, knocking him completely off his seat and to the ground just in time for an arrow to fly past right where he had been sitting.

Bofur and Oin threw themselves off their seats and to the ground as well with shouts of confusion. Hiding behind the wooden creates they had been sitting on the four of them listened for a sound.

Tauriel peered around the box to try and get a look at their attacker when another arrow came flying out of the darkness. Drawing back just in time she waited a moment before calling out. "Why do you attack us?"

Almost immediately a reply came. "Former captain of the guard, Tauriel, you are under arrest for treason and you and your companions are to either come quietly with us or be put to death."

Eyes wide, Tauriels heart skipped a beat. She couldn't say she hadn't seen this coming, but to attack the dwarves as well? They hadn't had any part to play in this. "I am the one to blame! I will come quietly if you release them." Glancing over at Kili, the fear and shock showed clearly in his eyes. He shook his head violently at her offer. But before any one of her companions could stop her she stood, arms raised in front of her.

Three elven archers slipped out of the shadows then, expressions solemn and eyes angry. "Our orders are to take the dwarves as well." He nearly spit the last part of the sentence in disdain. "If you don't come out, dwarves, we kill her."

The elven guardsman raised his bow menacingly at Tauriel, eyes narrowed. He was angry. They were all angry; she could see it as plain as day in their faces. They blamed her for their prince's death.

She was about to speak up again when she saw Kili's short form pop up from behind the crate. "Ok, I surrender. Don't shoot her." Tauriel swallowed, sighing in frustration at his loyalty to her. Seeing their kinsman surrender Bofur stood, followed shortly by Oin.

No one broke the tension filled air for a moment, the silence becoming overwhelming. It made the next sound all the more shocking; the twang of the archer's arrow as he released his shot towards Kili. Tauriel didn't have time to move, only yelled out in shock as she turned to watch the arrow fly.

Kili's face went from shock to disbelieve his eyes wide….yet…the arrow never hit it's mark. All of them, elves and dwarves alike frowned in confusion when the arrow was suddenly shot out of the air and clattered into the grass along with a second.

The first to regain their composure was one of the elven guards, reaching lightning fast for a new arrow. But even as his hand moved another projectile slipped out of the darkness and with pinpoint accuracy met its mark, snapping the archer's bowstring. The elf stared into the darkness in confusion as the three guards shouldered their bows and unsheathed their knives.

Tauriel stared into the shadows beyond the fire and was just barely able to make out the form of a man standing behind a nearby shelter. It had to be her kin, she knew of no other creature who could shoot with so much accuracy. But when the voice called out of the darkness she second guessed herself. It had the lilting elven accent but rather than musical, it was course and gruff. "Lower your weapons and leave now."

"Show yourself!" One of the archers called, raising his knives towards the darkness.

Again, the voice called out, tone unchanging. "Let me repeat myself. Lower your weapons and leave now."

"Who are you to interfere in the arrest of a traitor against the line of King Thranduil and three escaped prisoners." Tauriel lowered her gaze at this. She could not deny those accusations as much as she wanted to.

"Final warning." The gruff voice was having no negotiations or conversations it seemed, and when the guards didn't back down he flew out of the shadows.

Eyes wide Tauriel and the dwarves watched him move, curious as to who their mystery savior was. She again questioned her first thoughts that he was an elf considering he wore the clothes of men. He was garbed in all black, wearing leather gloves, a heavy cowl and a scarf pulled up to his eyes. Even from here she could see the familiar brilliance in which they shone. Was he an elf?

The mystery figure moved with grace and speed, bow shouldered, wielded nothing but two pieces of wood that it appeared he had just picked up. Spinning in a familiar elvish fighting style he disarmed the first surprised guard before knocking him to the ground with an elbow to the face. Moving just as gracefully as him, the other two soldiers attacked.

The dwarves watched in awe as the figure dressed in black fought with the elves. It was like watching a dance, the twisting movements seeming almost practiced, until of course the mystery man got in a lucky blow on one of the elves which sent him reeling back.

Dancing backwards he again took up his bow and readied an arrow, raising his aim towards the three soldiers. "Leave now or I will shoot you."

Tauriel furrowed her brow and regarded the man who stood in front of them as if shielding them. Despite the threat of his bow she doubted he would shoot them. Something was odd about the fight. It had taken her a minute to sort out but she had come to the realization that this man was fighting in a manner where he would not seriously injure any of them.

Thankfully it has only been Tauriel who had figured this out as the three elven soldier backed away cautiously. "You will have the wrath of king Thranduil come down on you as well." One of them promised as they fled the scene.

Tauriel could almost hear the masked figure scoff at this. Stepping forward she spoke. "Thank you, I am in your debt."

As she stepped closer to him in curiosity he turned, bow raised and aimed at her. Surprised she took a step back. There was a fire burning in those familiar eyes. "I did not come here to save you." He spoke gruffly, his voice raspy yet for some reason it hit a cord in her memory. "I came here to save them." He motioned to Kili, Bofur and Oin.

"You're an elf." It was more of an observation than an accusation. But she had to be sure.

"Yes." He turned his gaze away and lowered his bow; pivoting slightly so what showed of his face was hidden.

"You blame me too…. For the prince's death." The more she watched this mystery figure the more he gave away. It felt like she knew him, yet she couldn't place him anywhere in her memory.

"You left him. You betrayed him." She could almost hear the hurt in that raspy voice.

"I never meant to do that. I went after him. I would have given my life to save his but the king imprisoned me. By the time I escaped, Thranduils war party was already leaving Dor Guldur. They couldn't find him and had assumed he was dead. I even searched myself after they left." For days now she felt like she had needed to explain herself. She had wanted to make it right, tried to make it right, yet no one seemed to want to hear that side of the story.

The hooded man bowed his head slightly, turning away in silence and looked out into the darkness as if thinking. "The king sent out a rescue party?"

The question caught Tauriel off guard. "Of course he did. He actually went himself, gathered a small army and rode out as fast as the horses would carry them." How did he not know that? Everyone in the woodland realm would have known that. He had confirmed he was an elf…but was he not from Thranduil kingdom? This confused her.

They all stood in silence again, watching the masked elf in curiosity. Finally, back still turned to her, he spoke. "And you. How was it that he got captured in the first place?"

Tauriel could feel the eyes of the dwarves turn to look at her and for a moment she was silent. "I had to do the right thing. I saw goodness in Kili, I saw past his race and the ancient feud we have and I saw a good man. So when I heard he was going to die and that I could save him I had to help. When Legolas chased after those orcs I thought he would wait for me…and even if he didn't I had faith in his ability. His skill surpassed my own. Obviously I underestimated the enemy." She spoke quietly, sadness in her voice.

"Or you overestimated him. He thought that you were backing him up. He thought that you would be there." Anger was clear in the black clothed figures voice, yet he still kept it quiet and raspy.

Tauriel paused, having no response to his accusation. It was Kili who then chimed in, angry. "She saved my life. It was a rash move to chase that orc party alone and he should have waited." The young dwarf stepped forward pointing an accusing figure at the masked elf. "And you know something else? My brother followed those orcs on a rescue mission and he's still missing. He could be dead! And for what? Some ridiculous sense of pri-" Taurial slammed a hand over his mouth, frowning down at him and shaking her head.

He frowned back but took the hint and stopped talking. Glancing back up to the mystery elf she watched him closely. He was silent before sighing deeply and taking a heavy seat on one of the crates across the fire. "Fili. Come out now."

This struck all three dwarves and Taurial speechless. Yet sure enough, from the darkness emerged Fili, grinning from ear to ear. Barely stopping to think, Kili rushed toward, embracing his brother tightly. The two stayed like that for a moment before slapping each other on the shoulder and taking a seat. They then turned to watch the two elves.

Tauriel paid no attention to the reunion that had happened beside her. Instead, her wide eyes were trained on the mystery man. His eyes….his mannerisms….his fighting style…his voice…..It could not be….

Moving slowly, Tauriel rounded him until she was able to see his eyes. Stepping forward, she crouched before him, expecting him to bolt like a nervous animal at any moment. Yet still he stayed, blue eyes never leaving hers. Heart beating in her throat and eyes wide, she reached forward and gently pushed down the cowl that had been hiding his face.

Now free of the hood, blond hair spilled out, dirty, bloody and dishevelled but oh so familiar. Tauriel's breath hitched as she studied his face, the ugly and still healing wound that ran from just above his eye down past the scarf.

Hands now shaking, she pulled down the scarf to fully reveal the face of her dead prince….her lost friend. Not so lost after all.

Tauriel stared at him speechlessly. Reaching forward she ran her hand along his face as if confirming that he were real. The sight filled her with joy. But when the memory of the shackles she'd seen in the dungeon of Dor Guldur resurfaced in her mind her stomach turned; the shredded fabric of his tunic….the blood pooled on the ground. What had he survived…Her eyes fell on the scar across his face. What other scars did he bare? "H-how?"

Legolas frowned, looking away from her. When he spoke his voice was nearly back to normal, rather than that forced rasp he'd spoken in earlier. "I have Fili to thank. Along with two wizards. Nothing else matters."

"But…" Tauriel tried to catch his eyes but he avoided eye contact. "Why didn't you tell me?" She reached forward meaning to lay a hand on his shoulder in affection but he quickly stood and stepped away.

"I wanted to know your unbiased opinion." His voice held no emotion. "Now I do." He was angry. He was angry at her betrayal. But after listening to her speak…of Kili's defense of her…his rational mind was telling him to forgive her. He had been rash attacking those orcs alone….

Tauriel only watched him, brow furrowed as he stepped over to Fili, laying a hand on his shoulder and nodding in thanks. He then pulled up the cowl and scarf once more and turned away.

"Legolas!" She called after him in desperation. When he actually stopped to listen her heart clenched. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He stood for a moment, back turned to her before slipping into the shadows. "So am I."

**AUTHORS NOTE**

I lied. Here's the next chapter. Ended up writing it really late last night.


	8. Chapter 8

Once far enough away from the Lake town camp, Legolas collapsed against a tree, shutting his eyes against the pain. Although he had been helped by Radagasts magic for the better part of three days his wounds were by no means fully healed, only sore, itchy, pulling scabs. It hurt to draw his bow, not to mention get into a fist fight. Sliding down the tree to the ground he grimaced under the scarf and cowl.

Pulling off one of his gloves he studied the wound that snaked up and onto his draw hand. It was still closed which surprised him. He had assumed the violent fight he'd just been in would have torn it open….he couldn't speak of any of the other wounds covering the majority of his body though.

Sitting there and waiting for the pain to pass, Legolas ran the events of the past couple of days through his head. He and Fili had stayed in the tiny wooden shack for nearly three days until they were sure that his wounds were healed enough to move. The brown wizard's magic was truly extraordinary, yet Radagast was no miracle worker. It would still take time for everything to heal properly.

But by this morning Fili was getting antsy, worried, and ready to return to his brother. So around noon the wizard had given them a lift through the forest on his sleigh, dropping the two off just outside Mirkwood. It was during that ride that he had tried to decide what to do. His father hadn't come, Tauriel hadn't come. He was angry and felt betrayed, so he had made it his goal to find out the truth.

The truth….the unbiased truth was that BOTH of them HAD come. They had just been too late. Or Fili and Gandalf had been too quick. Either way he had not been as betrayed as he had thought he'd been.

Deep in thought and distracted by the pain from the fight he should never have gotten into, his elven senses picked up the sound of movement too late. Someone was near. But as he was about to jump to his feet he found the point of a drawn arrow very close to his face.

His eyes widened in shock and fear as he looked past the bow to the one wielding it. One of the elven archers he had defeated earlier. Frowning, the elf looked down his nose at the still masked Legolas. In a moment the other two appeared, one wielding knives since his bow string was still snapped.

"Set down your bow and remove your quiver." The soldier spoke, his voice solemn and icy. Moving slowly Legolas raised his hands palms up to show that he meant no harm before setting the bow slowly on the ground before him. Then, just as slow and deliberately he unbuckled his quiver and did the same.

Cautiously, one of the soldiers retrieved them before darting behind the bowman who still threatened the prince. "Get up. Slowly."

Thoughts racing, Legolas tried to decide what to do. He wanted to speak to his father like he had Tauriel, uncertain if Thanduil would speak the truth of what happened if he knew he was telling it to his son. He couldn't run; he would just be shot and possibly killed after the stunt he'd pulled back in the Lake Town camp. His only option was to do as they said. So, like they had ordered, Legolas slowly stood, hands raised in front of him.

"Who are you? Remove your mask." The next order caused Legolas to freeze and he knew that there was nothing he could say to dissuade them unmasking him. If he refused they would only restrain him and reveal his identity themselves.

Shutting his eyes in defeat he paused for a moment which only agitated the guards. "Let me repeat myself. Remove your mask." The archer standing before him spoke again, mocking the words that Legolas had used himself against them not an hour earlier.

Without a word Legolas pulled down the scarf and cowl, giving the guard who was threatening him a disapproving stare.

There was a moment of shocked stillness where not one of the soldiers took a breath. Finally each of them dropped to their knees, lowing their weapons, wide eyes staring up at him in disbelief and awe. "How can this be?" The archer who had been threatening him whispered his voice airy. "You are…."

Legolas irritated expression softened as he smiled slightly. "Rise, let me explain." He held out his hand to the archer who took it without question as his prince pulled him to his feet.

"Wh-why would you wait to reveal yourself until now?" The question was followed closely by another guard's inquiry. "Why did you halt our attack on the dwarves?"

Legolas expression turned grim, his brow furrowing as he shot a glance at each soldier. "It was not elf kind that saved my life in Dor Guldur. My escape was brought by the hands of one of Thorin Oakenshield's company and aided by a wizard."

This brought on new looks of disbelief from the elven party. A dwarf voluntarily risking his life to save an elf? Impossible. But they were not going to doubt the words of their prince.

"As for why I did not reveal myself to you. That business is my own." The archer who stood before him studied his face, the healing scar, the dishevelled and bloodstained hair, before nodding with a look of concern.

"My lord Thranduil….he does not know?" The archer asked worriedly.

"No." Legolas turned his gaze away. "I have…not been home yet. I was seeing that the dwarf that saved my life was returned safely to his kin."

The soldier's brows drew together. "My prince, the king is not well. There is no life in his eyes. We fear for him."

Legolas let out a small breath of pain. He hadn't thought….He hadn't thought his father would diminish with news of his death. He had assumed he would stand in vengeance, a storm of anger and hate at his sons murderers. He had to speak with him.

"Take me home."

Nodding with wide, urgent eyes, the elven party summoned their horses with mere whistles and in no time at all they were riding towards the woodland realm.

…  
Once Legolas had slipped out of the light of the fire and gone, Tauriel sat heavily down on one of the crates. She was still in shock from the revelation. "Fili…" She breathed, finally looking up at him. "What happened?"

The young dwarfs smile quickly faded as memories of what he'd seen flooded his vision. "Well I followed the tracks like you'd asked me all the way to Dor Guldur, and since you still hadn't shown up I decided to try and get a better look. But when I entered the fortress there were a lot more orcs then I thought. I was just going to run back to the forest and wait when I found Gandalf."

"Gandalf!?" Bofur chimed in incredulously. "Gandalf was there? How?"

Fili only shook his head. "He said he was investigating some great evil. He wouldn't tell me anything for sure. But once I saved him the two of us got looking for Legolas. It took us a long time to get through the fortress unseen but we finally found him."

The dwarf stopped, brow furrowing at the memory. The look on his face caused Tauriels breath to hitch. "At first I thought he was dead, hanging by chains with more open wounds then unmarred skin. I haven't seen anything like it…..it was horrible."

Tauriel turned her gaze from Fili, staring into the fire with a pained expression. He had looked so well when he had just been here…

The dwarf continued his story. "Just when we were about to get him out there was what sounded like a battle outside the fortress. We escaped using the distraction."

"What battle?" Kili stared at his brother curiously.

Fili again shook his head. "We never found out. We hid in the forest until the sounds stopped. Then we ended up being saved by Radagast."

"Radagast? That old fool of a wizard?" Bofur raised a brow at the story and scoffed.

"He's the only reason Legolas survived." Fili assured the other dwarf. "His magic was amazing. Even Gandalf couldn't have healed those wounds so quickly."

"Where is Gandalf?" Kili spoke excitedly, wanting to see his friend.

"He left because Radagast couldn't carry us all on the sleigh. Said he had 'business' anyway."

Kili pouted in disappointment as Bofur crossed his arms mirroring the same expression. "He always had business."

All the rest of the conversation Tauriel thought quietly to herself. The news pained her greatly to hear. After what she had seen in the dungeon of Dor Guldur, she had thought the worst, yet immediately tried to keep in out of her mind. Now she couldn't stop imaging it, the pain….the fear…what he had endured. Her imagination played vivid images through her mind which nearly brought tears to her eyes.

It was her fault. She would give anything to have been there in his place. But it was already too late. There was no turning back time. The memories of what had happened would surely stay in Legolas' mind for as long as he lived.

Rising from her seat very suddenly, Tauriel quickly left, not answering the dwarves worried questions or returning Kili's concerned gaze. She had to be alone.

…  
As Legolas entered the halls of the woodland realm he let out a sigh of relief, the tension he had not known was in his body leaving. He was home. He was safe. Escorted by the small party of guards, he pulled the cowl to further cover his eyes. He was in a hurry to speak with his father and surely any grand return from the dead would bring serious delays.

Passing the curious and suspicious gatekeepers, they quickly made their way towards the throne room. The small group paused before they rounded the corner to the throne. "This is as far as we dare go. We will leave this matter to you, my lord." Legolas nodded, watching them turn and hurry away, glancing back at him as they went.

Letting out a tiny breath and preparing for the worst, Legolas then rounded the corner and took the stairs up towards the throne. As his father came more into view, his heart dropped further in his chest.

It had been three days since the battle of Dor Guldur and the death of his son, yet Thranduil looked as if it had been the hour previous. He appeared to have sat down upon returning and had not gotten up since, which was actually very much true. He wore his armor still, dusty and bloodied from battle. His hair was dishevelled and dirty, and his face much the same way. In his hands he grasped a piece of fabric, bloody and torn and the only remnant of his son that he had left.

He didn't even look up when Legolas stepped off the stairs before him, only stared down at the fabric with blank and lifeless eyes.

The prince was speech less, his breath catching in his throat at the state his father was in. He had seen Thranduil in many states, cold like a winter's storm, fiery with anger, passionate in his rule and gentle as a breeze. But never had he seen him so defeated, so….empty.

"_Adar._" He whispered in shock, blue eyes wide, yet even the quiet word caused something to stir in the elf king. For the first time in three days Thranduil raised his gaze, glancing about as if disoriented. It took a moment but finally his dull eyes fell on the other person in the room.

In his shock at his father's appearance, Legolas had forgotten to remove the cowl and scarf. But his eyes still shone from behind the mask and that was all the king needed. He knew those eyes, but he did not believe it what he was seeing.

Moving as if he were in a trace, Thranduil stood, eyes wide with disbelief and shock. Slowly he took the steps down from the throne and approached the elf dressed in black. The ripped fabric fluttered from his grasp as he raised his hands to remove the cowl and scarf. His fingers hovered for a moment like they had over Legolas' sword when Tauriel had offered it to him, before gently pulling the scarf down to reveal the face of his son.

"This cannot be." He whispered, voice barely audible as he pulled down the cowl as well. Gently, he ran his hand through his son's hair, down his neck and then over his shoulder as if to make sure he was a live person rather than some illusion. Every breath he took shuddered as if he was having trouble breathing.

"It's me, Adar." Legolas raised his gloved hands to grasp his father's shoulders. "It's me." He had never seen such emotions from the elf king, never had he seen such love in those eyes. But what came next surprised him more than anything Thranduil had ever done. Abruptly, he pulled Legolas forward into an embrace.

Had he been not so filled with emotion, the pain from the pressure on his injuries would have brought him to his knees. But this was not the case. Instead he returned the embrace, laying his head on his father's still armored chest. And like he had when he was a child, he lost himself in the safety of the older elf's arms. Just barely he could hear Thranduil whispering. "You're alive, you're alive…" Over and over again as he buried his face in his sons hair.

After quite a while, the elf king finally pulled away, his hands never leaving Legolas' shoulders as if he feared his son would disappear if he let go. Studying Legolas' face, his expression turned for shocked disbelief to pained concern. Gently he lay his hand beside the wound that started just above the princes brow and travelled down the side of his face, ending just under his ear.

Knowing what his father was doing, Legolas tried to turn his head the other way. "Adar…" But Thranduil forced him still, gritting his teeth the more he studied the wound. "Please, you don't need to see."

"I do." The kings voice held anger now as his eyes travelled down to the scarf that hid his sons neck. "Show me."

Legolas stared at his father with wide eyes, worried that what he would see would only cause him pain. But he also knew that Thranduil would not quit until he had it his way. Sighing, the prince gave in, pulling the scarf entirely from his neck which displayed the ugly and still healing scars.

Thranduil watched with pained grief as Legolas then undid the clasps to the black tunic he wore. He paused for a moment before letting out a breath and fully pulling it off. Every inch of his skin was covered in a maze of different sized scars and still healing wounds.

Mouth parted and brows drawn together almost painfully, the elf king let out a tiny cry at the state of his son's health. Stepping around the prince he studied every injury that littered his body. The more he saw the hotter the anger that boiled within him until finally he stood before Legolas and spoke, fury in his voice. "If I was able, I would slaughter the ones who did this to you a thousand times over."

Legolas looked at his father sadly. From the looks of his armor and appearance, Thranduil HAD slaughtered the ones who did this to him.

After a moment, the moment the elf king spoke again, the anger faded leaving mostly regret. "How did you escape?"

"One of the dwarves from Thorin Oakenshield's party along with a wizard who called himself Mithrandir saved me." He watched his father carefully; curious as to how he'd take the news.

Thranduil only stared at him as if this did not compute. It was only when he remembered what Tauriel had told him that it made sense. The dwarf that she had said she'd sent.

Letting out a breath he spoke. "Then the dwarf has given to me the most precious treasure in the world." He knew at that moment he would not raise a hand to stop Oakenshield in whatever endeavor he had planned. He would not wage any war against him again.

Legolas let a smile slip onto his face at those words. He would not have to fear for the lives of Fili and his kin.

**AUTHORS NOTES **  
This was by far the HARDEST chapter I've written. There was so much emotion here that it took me three tries to get right. Meaning that I literally wrote this chapter 3 times before I even liked it. But even now I don't feel like I've done the moment as much justice as I could have. There were some plot holes that I tried to fill but couldn't so ignore those.

Now is where it gets hard since I haven't thought up an ending. I had everything planned until that very moment. And then nothing. I got ziltch.  
I know I've been updating daily, even more than once per day, but because I don't have an ending it might take me a little longer from here on out. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas I wouldn't mind hearing them. Just write em in a review.

Urg. Characters are so hard to get right.

And here I am posting this at 4 in the morning when I have to work tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I do this to myself because I love you all, my dearest readers.


	9. Chapter 9

It felt good to be home, to be safe, even to be in his own clothes. But the entire situation was bittersweet. The ordeal was over, yet the scars remained on his body and on his mind.  
The last twenty four hours since his return had been exhausting. As the day dawned and Thranduil had announced that their prince had returned, it had been non-stop since. Legolas left like he'd been visited by every elf in the entirety of Woodland Realm.

It was a relief now to retire to his chamber, away from the questions and the prying eyes. 'How badly had he been injured?' 'How was he captured?' 'How did he escape?' 'What had happened to him?' 'What had happed to Tauriel?'

Legolas sighed. He had put a lot of thought into it, his mind turning over the past events; what had been done, what had been said. And he now realized that he forgave her. She had left to save Kili and he had followed, to blinded by his own feelings to see it and to narrow minded to even think about the possibility. Not to mention his overestimated faith in his own skill.

It hadn't really been entirely her fault, neither had it been his own. It was just….an unfortunate event. Yet it had happened, and they both had to live with the consequences.

Frowning, the prince rose and stepped over to a large standing mirror to study his own reflection. There were certainly consequences he had to live with….

Ever since he had left Radagasts care, the healing process of his wounds had slowed drastically. They had barely improved at all actually. With a slight grimace he pulled down the collar of his tunic, glimpsing the healing wounds on his neck. They were red and raw, painful to the touch, but bearable.

Raising a hand he touched the scar on his face. And then there was that, forever marring his appearance….seeing the sadness in his own eyes he turned away in shame. But as he did he noticed his father standing in the doorway. Startled slightly, he straightened himself out. "Adar, I did not notice you."

Thranduil's frowned sadly, pain clear in his eyes. "I know what you see in the mirror."

Legolas turned his gaze away from his father. "It's done. There is no changing it now." The reminder of what had happened would always be there, every time he saw his own reflection.

The elf king stepped further into the room and over to his son. Taking him gently by the shoulders he turned Legolas so they stood side by side looking into the mirror. "It does not have to be that way."

Legolas was about to pull away when his father shut his eyes, grimacing at what he was about to show his son. For a moment there was a shimmer as the illusion faded and slowly the horrible scars spread across his face, reaching all the way up to his eye and all the way down his neck, past the collar of his robe.

Legolas turned from the reflection to stare up in shock and horror at the elf kings face. What…..What was….

As the last of the illusion faded, Thranduil opened his eyes, one of them white and sightless, to meet his sons gaze. "Things are not always what they seem."

For the first time Legolas finally understood. His father knew. Thranduil's eyes shone with pain because he truly knew what it was like. To be so badly injured and come back from it. That he had never wanted it to be something that his son experienced.

For a moment the two regarded one another, Thranduil with love, concern and regret and Legolas with understanding and shock.

"It is but an illusion; one that I have perfected over many ages." Thranduil finally spoke, nodding towards the mirror again. "You see."

Brows furrowed, Legolas turned to the reflection once more to find only one reflection scarred. With a tiny breath he raised his hand to his forehead running it over the smooth and unmarred skin. He could still feel the pain of the healing injury at the touch, but to his fingers there was no wound. Still staring at his now perfect reflection in shock, he barely turned when he felt his father's hand stroke his hair.

After a moment Thranduil then turned and stepped over to the door way only to be stopped by the soft voice of his son.

"Adar…"

As he turned Legolas could see no remnant of the horrible scar on his father's face. But now that he knew it was there he would never forget it.

"Thank you."

A tiny smile flickered over the king's lips before he nodded slightly and disappeared around the corner.

...

It had been a day; an entire day and the shock still hadn't left her. As Tauriel helped pack up the few belongings of the small camp had she wondered if she would see any more soldiers. Would Legolas call them off? Perhaps he would….if only to protect Fili's life.

A ruckus drew her suddenly from her thoughts as all the dwarves in the small company shouldered all of their belongings. Now that Fili had returned, the four had decided to set off towards the mountain to join the rest of their companions. Uncertain as to what to say or do about Tauriel they had decided to invite her along with them. After the attack the night before they knew she couldn't return home. They also knew that this was brought on by her assisting them. It was the least they could do….

Glancing up at the unexpected elf in their party, Kili gave Tauriel a big smile. This was not only because she looked so sad, as she had for the past day, but because he was unsure what would happen. What would Thorin's reaction be? Their uncle's hatred for elves would surely be even worse now after the fiasco in the elf kings prison.

He only hoped that Thorin would not shoot first and ask questions later.

"Shall we be goin'? Bofur questioned them. It had taken them longer to break camp than expected and it was already late in the day.

"Fiilliii! Kiilliiii!" The unknown and distant voice suddenly made them all stop in their tracks. Tauriel perked up, her eyes immediately snapping to the source of the calling.

A small creature was making his way through the Lake Town camp and over to them. Frowning, she vaguely remembered him to be with the dwarven company as they fled, yet not with them as they were captured. Could it have been him that had orcastrated the escape?

"Bilbo!?" Oin called out, eyes finally falling on the hobbit as he ran into the now emptied camp site. "What are you doing here? Where is Thorin? What happened?"

They knew that the dwarves were holed up in Erebor with Bard's company of men at the gates, and that smaug lay dead in the lake, shot by Bards back arrow. But details of the past days had barely reached them.

Out of breath, Bilbo held up a finger to catch it before answering. "No time." He huffed another breath. "They're in trouble."

"Who? Who's in trouble?" It was Fili this time who asked the question.

"Everyone." For some reason the hobbits short and vague answer struck fear into both the dwarves and the elf who lingered behind her companions.

"Everyone?" Tauriel questioned the small creature.

Bilbo glanced at Tauriel about to answer before he did a double take. He frowned, eyes darting from one dwarf to another as to why there was an elf among them, particularly an elf he recognized as being one of their previous captors. Getting no answer, the hobbit signed and continued. "There are orcs amassing not a half a day's march from the mountain. An army of them. Thorin has called for help from the Iron Mountains but there are not enough men, or dwarves present to defeat that force." Bilbo looked from one shocked face to another. "So I came to find you."

Each member of the company was struck speechless. It was Fili who broke the silence, glancing up at Tauriel. "Gandalf said that an army marched out of Dol Guldur." Could this possibly be the same army?

The hobbit raised his brows in surprise at the mention of his friend. "Gandalf? Where's Gandalf?" But the inquiry was ignored.

"We must hurry to the mountain. Uncle needs all the help he can get." Kili let a heavy hand drop on Bilbo's shoulder as he passed him. "Let's go."

But as the small group rushed to leave one member did not move. It was the dwarf leading the march that realized this and turned. "Tauriel?" As the rest of the dwarves stopped to wait, Kili stepped towards her. "We have to move."

"You heard your friend." She spoke quietly. "There are not enough men or dwarves on the mountain to defeat that army. I do not doubt your strength and courage but only four of you will not make a difference."

"Five." Kili spoke cautiously. "You're coming with us…"

Tauriel shook her head which only struck fear in the young dwarf's heart. "You will need more than one elf to win this battle."

Catching on, Fili stepped up to join his brother. "But what about last night? What if they kill you!?"

"That is a risk I will take." She gave the two brothers a small smile. "You need to go. Be with your kin. If you hear the sound of horns you will know that I succeeded." As she turned the other direction to face Mirkwood, Kili's voice stopped her.

"But I don't want to leave without you."

Tauriel turned and sighed. "Oh Kili…" She smiled at him. "This is bigger than you or I. This is about doing what is right." Approaching him, she leaned down and kissed him softly on the forehead before standing and jogging away. She could only hope and pray that Thranduil would do what was right…

Watching the elf leave, Kili felt a crushing weight fall on his heart. He knew that she was right. But that didn't change the fact that he wanted her to stay. What if the elves didn't come and he never saw her again? What if they did come but he fell in battle? He didn't want to die without seeing her one last time.

With a loud sigh he tried to let go of his despair and focus on the trek ahead. They had to reach Erebor and they had to do it fast. Who knew when the orcs would strike.

...

**AUTHORS NOTE:  
**It's a long time overdue, but here's chapter nine. It's taken me a couple of days, a lot of research, and a lot of thinking to finally manage to plot together some semblance of an end. And when I say end I mean an end to work up to, for events to happen towards, not one last chapter. So don't fret! This story has a lot of life in it yet, and *cough* death perhaps. We'll see.

Thank you for all of your suggestions for ways to end! Even if I don't use all of them, they really helped me to try and figure out where I was going with this. So cheers! Feedback really keeps me going, if only to guilt trip me into sitting and writing because I know how many people are waiting for chapters.

This chapter in particular was just kind of filler. Something to move things along to a point where action can happen again. I also just want to reinforce that things are happening VERY different from the book. so au much different wow

My only regret if that I can't update you guys on my thought process and when I'm writing a chapter. I wish I could do status reports to tell you guys where I'm at, but alas, FF doesn't allow it. So enjoy this chapter (even though its pretty short) and look forward to when the actual action starts.

Ps. Look up a fic on ff called 'A race to save' by the author RegulusBlackIsAHero. It follows a similar idea that my story did and it's super amazing! You'll probably all like it! Go go! :3


	10. Chapter 10

It was just barely morning by the time Tauriel came upon the gates of the Woodland Realm. But just as she stepped onto the bridge she faltered, fear suddenly filling her heart. She knew what she had to do, but that didn't stop her mind from racing. Would Thranduil even let her speak? Would he throw her in prison? Would be kill her?

The opening gates pulled her from her thoughts and she had barely enough time to harden her resolve before a party of elves ran out towards her. Bows raised, they narrowed their eyes. "Tauriel. You shouldn't have come back." One spoke, nodding to another to take her.

"I need to speak to King Thranduil about an urgent matter." She was just able to speak the words before two elves were on her, shackling her hands behind her back.

"That is fortunate then, since he would very much like to speak to you too." With a silent order, he motioned for her to be brought inside.

As the hands ushered her forward and through the gates she swallowed. The king wanted to speak to her? She wondered it that was just a metaphor for punishing her. Either way, Tauriel swallowed nervously as she was marched through the great halls of the Woodland Realm.

The entire way elves stared at her; some in shock at her reappearance, some in narrow-eyed anger. Tauriel just ignored them, trying to focus on why she was really here.

As they reached the throne room and took the stairs up her nervousness grew. Even at a first glace she could tell the king was angry. A storm brewed just under his features as he stared at her with narrowed eyes. "You're a fool for returning." His voice was quiet but icy.

"My king." She dropped down to one knee in respect, hands still shackled behind her. Legolas must have returned considering Thranduil's immediate reaction. "I have urgent news."

"I don't want to hear it." Standing, the king stepped down from his throne and towards her. "I want to hear why you fled." He towered in front of her still kneeling form and looked down his nose at her. "Was it out of shame or out of guilt."

"My king I…" She started but was cut off by his angry words.

"You betrayed my son. You betrayed me. Legolas may have returned alive but that does NOT pardon you, for he did not return well." The manner in which he spoke froze Tauriel's blood. He might as well have screamed those words considering the fury behind them was so obvious. "He trusted you and you let him fall."

"I…" This time rather than being cut off, the words failed in her throat. All the fear and the pain and the sorrow collected together in her chest, cutting off any words she may have spoken.

"You can't even defend yourself because you know it's true." The elf king turned away, showing her his back. "It is time you pay the price for your treachery."

Thranduil drew his sword so quickly and had it flying towards her neck, Tauriel barely had time to yell wait. But the blow never came. Green eyes wide in shock, she stared at the elven knives that had blocked Orcrist from completing its fatal strike.

Even more shocked than Tauriel, the elf king stumbled back, withdrawing his sword as soon as he realized it had met the blades of his son.

"Don't do this." Appearing from behind her, Legolas sheathed his knives, stepping around Tauriel to confront his father.

"She is a traitor. She let you be captured." Thranduil frowned; unable to understand why the one Tauriel had hurt the most was protecting her.

"No, she didn't. It had been her mission all along to save the dwarf. I was the one who decided to follow." Legolas was used to pacifying his father. Whenever the king was angry, it had always been the prince who kept a calm head. "I was the one who went after the orc party alone. It was my narrow-minded view that kept me from realizing that she would not follow."

Tauriel watched Legolas carefully. He looked like he had before that fateful night, clean and proud and strong, so unlike the black garbed elf who had saved them around the fire. Did his defense of her now mean he forgave her?

"That does not-" But he was cut off by his son's angry voice.

"Adar!" Legolas stepped forward frowning before gently taking hold of Orcrist over his father's hand. "It was not her fault. Her only fault was seeing something you and I could not."

Thranduil's brows drew together as he let his son lower Orcrist, anger slowly ebbing. Not speaking, he only questioned the prince with his piercing gaze.

"My lords…" Tauriel finally pulled herself together, breaking the silence. Both turned to her, one with sad eyes, and the other with remaining anger. "There is an enemy force amassing not half a day from the lonely mountain. All manners of dark creatures gather. They mean to attack Erebor and the men of Lake Town. I came to ask for your assistance." Although her timing was not great, the ex-guard captain new that it had to be said. The orcs could already by attacking for all she knew.

This news struck both king and prince silent. Thranduil frowned at her, considering his options while Legolas turned away in shock to look out across the realm.

Finally the king spoke. "That is none of my concern."

Immediately the prince spun around glancing from Tauriel to his father. "You would let the ones who saved my life be slaughtered." He spoke accusingly, his words harsh. He knew his father, and he knew what he was doing. Thranduil would only use what happened to him as a cause to withdraw further from the world, when really, what needed to be done was the opposite.

"What would you have me do?" The elf king knew his son, and if he was correct then Legolas would act with or without his help or consent.

"Call upon our people to fight. Ride out and meet this evil." Legolas approached his father, eyes hardened with resolve. "It was our narrow-mindedness that caused what happened. End your feud with the dwarves."

Staring into his son's eyes Thranduil saw something he had not seen before and knew that Legolas was right. Had he not imprisoned the dwarves Tauriel would not have ridden out and Legolas would not have followed. In the end it had been his fault. Swallowing the pain that swelled in his chest at the revelation, he let his hand brush over his sons shoulder before turning abruptly to leave.

Legolas was about to call out in anger as his father took the stairs down when he heard the king's voice address the guards. "Send word across the realm to ready for battle! We ride out to meet his foe at midday!"

Both Tauriel and the prince seemed let out a breath of relief as Thranduil left, but as Legolas looked over at her, she lowered her head in shame.

"Do not blame yourself any longer, Tauriel." Legolas sighed, the strength he had used when speaking to Thranduil replaced by fatigue. "I was to short sighted to see the truth."

"I'm sorry." The ex-guard captain spoke quietly but the apology only caused Legolas to shake his head, kneeling down in front of her.

"More of our kin need to think like you. It was your kindness that sent Fili to me. It was your friendship that bridged the gap between our races. Everything else is in the past." Legolas touched her shoulder gently, like he had not let her do that night by the fire.

Tauriel furrowed her brow as she looked up at him and nodded, and for a moment the two regarded each other in silence. Legolas could see the pain and the regret in her eyes and had he not already made the decision to forgive her, he would have in that moment. They had both been put through a lot of pain in the past week, and as it still stayed in his heart, it seemed to stay in hers as well. But it was not by the hands of others that brought her pain, it was by her own which made it so much worse.

Yes, perhaps he forgave her….but that pain and hurt she felt would be there until she forgave herself. And that was something that Legolas could not help her with.

Remembering suddenly why they were both there, Legolas moved to unshackle Tauriel. "My father is probably already preparing for battle. We should as well."

Standing, Tauriel turned to him in shock before she nodded. She hadn't thought that she would be allowed to come with…to fight in this battle. Freedom soared in her and for the first time since the fateful night in Lake Town, Tauriel smiled at him. "Yes. Let us go."

...  
Fili stood at the great blockade, biting his lip nervously. From his vantage point on the side of the mountain he could see the beginnings of the orc army coming into sight. It was massive…

There were just over 500 dwarves that had answered his uncle's call for aide and about three hundred or fewer men from Lake Town. But the army that marched towards them now was double those numbers, perhaps triple. There would be no negotiations, no talking, only death.

Despair coiled within him as he laid his hand on his sword. Would they be able to win this battle? No…they wouldn't.

His mind then turned to Tauriel. Where was she….had she been killed? But as he turned his gaze towards the direction of Mirkwood, a far off and distant sound reached his ears. The sound of…horns! And after a moment he could see the shine of armor and the fluttering banners of the elves.

She had succeeded! Launching himself off the blockade, Kili hit the ground running. As quickly as his short legs would carry him, he made it to the camp at the base of the mountain where the war council was being held.

As he entered three heads looked up; his Uncles, Bards, and Gandalf's. The old wizard had appeared just after the little band of dwarves had rejoined their kin on the mountain. After creating himself a new staff he had located the Orc army that had marched from Dor Guldur and had come to a very distressing conclusion. War was upon them.

"Kili. What is it?" Thorin looked up, worry in his eyes. Was the enemy closing in?

"The elves. They're riding to help us." Kili tried to calm his excitement. When told about the past week's events Thorin had not taken the news well. His distrust and hate for the species would not allow him to believe that Tauriel was a friend. He remembered thinking that perhaps it was best that she had not joined them on the mountain after all.

"How many?" It was Bard who asked now, hope threatening his gruff voice.

Kili shook his head. "I don't know they're too far away yet to tell. An army."

Gandalf smiled at the news and wondered briefly if the prince of Mirkwood had anything to do with this. "This is good news. We may have a chance now."

"Good news?" Thorin growled, glaring up at the others in the room. "The elves would turn on us as soon as the enemy falls. They are self-centred and not worth trusting."

"Either way, they come to our aide." Bard returned the Dwarf kings glare. "And we will accept it. Before this news there were barely enough of us to make a stand, you know that." With a huff he turned to the young dwarf. "How long until they reach us?"

Kili thought for a moment. "The enemy will be on us soon, the elves as well."

The wizard nodded in urgency. "Then we prepare for battle!"

**AUTHORS NOTES**  
I hope this one was ok. I'm not great at writing multiple characters at once so for the most part I'll probably just stick to following the elves, Kili, Fili, and Thorin, maybe a bit of Gandalf.  
But hey! I think I've finally pegged down the rest of the major events of the story. And what does that mean? Faster updates. Less pissing around while I try and think of plot.  
Also, psa to all the shippers out there. I probably won't add any big romance in _ I have an equal amount of fans for pro LegolasxTauriel as I do against. I don't want to disappoint anyone out there but I swear what I DO write will be intense and emotional regardless. I myself have always been a TaurielxKili type of person so if there is any hint to romance it will probably fall towards that side of the fence.

I'll try and have the next chapter up tomorrow night. And like always, thank you thank you to all those who review! I literally have my email open all day so I can read reviews right away. They make me happy.


	11. Chapter 11

Time passed frighteningly quickly yet at the same time much too slowly as the dwarven and human army crouched on the high pass of the mountain. At their vantage point and position on the high rocks they would be nearly invisible to the enemy when they reached Erebor. And that would be very soon indeed.

At the same time the elves still rode from the opposite direction. Once the orcs met with elvish steel, Thorin's and Bard's forces were to rush forward and surprise them from behind. Or at least that was the plan. They could only hope that the elves did what they expected them to do.

In uneasy silence Kili crouched beside Fili, sword in hand and heart beating much too quickly. He had been in many battles, but never a war. Wars were tales told my his uncle and Balin. Wars were where heroes were made and grand deeds were done; epic battles and amazing feats of bravery. But right now all Kili could think about was how afraid he was. That unbreakable armor of youth and ego smashed at the sight of the massive army approaching.

He swallowed, glancing nervously over at Fili. His brother didn't seem to be taking it any better but at least he put on a brave face. "We've got nothing to worry about." The tawny haired dwarf whispered to his brother. "Not while the elves march to help us. Tauriel's probably with them."

Kili nodded, shooting his brother a smile. Yes….Tauriel was probably with them. And thinking back to the way they fought those spiders back in Mirkwood….the elves would surely be the deciding factor they needed to win this war.

Yet his calmed nerves didn't last long as the sound of the enemies march round the bend of the mountain right below them. They were here. It was nearly time.

Banners still high in the wind and horns hitting their last notes before battle, the elves were almost upon the enemy.

Expression nearly unreadable Thranduil drew Orcrist, halting the horse he rode. Behind him his army stopped as well. For a moment he wondered why he had agreed to answer the call at all, but that was only until his son rode up beside him.

Legolas would never have admitted it, or perhaps he didn't even realize it, but Thranduil could see the flicker of fear pass over his face. Never had he seen his son fear battle, or death. Not until recent events; events that were brought on by the horrid creatures that were quickly approaching over the mountain.

Hand tightening over his weapon, the elf king narrowed his eye, noticing something; or rather….not noticing. "I see the enemy but not the army that was supposed to meet it." Thranduil could feel the fury building within him. Was this some kind of trap after all? A trick?

"No. This cannot be…" Tauriel rode up to join the king and the prince, eyes wide. She swallowed in fear as she scanned the mountain. They had to be here. They could not just have left…

"Wait." It was Legolas to speak next, blue eyes sharp and focused on something high on the mountainside. Both the king and the ex-guard captain followed the prices gaze and to their shock realized what was happening. High upon a ridge a grey robed man crouched, motioning to them urgently; and those with the sharpest of eyes could make out the gleam of armor and weapons behind him. "It's a battle strategy."

At the revelation, it took not but a second for the elf king to take action. "Archers take aim!" He narrowed his gaze at the man on the mountain. Whatever they had planned it had better work. "Release at will!"

Behind them thousands of blows released their fire, and as the rain of arrows fell upon the enemy the orcs broke rank and began to sprint towards the elves. Growling and yowling the enemy closed it.

"Adar." Legolas suppressed the spark of fear within him, replacing it with anger as the second wave of arrows struck the enemy.

The orcs got even closer, a force that even the elves could not outnumber, weapons raised.

Thranduil glanced at this son, expression grim. And although he did not speak, what he wanted to say passed through his gaze. His love….His regrets….Of how proud he was….and that he could not bear to lose his son again.

Closing the gap, the enemy was nearly upon them, murder clear in their eyes.

"Legolas." Tauriel turned to her friend, about to speak. There was so much she wanted to say. But she never got the chance. For just as her thoughts were about to pass her lips the king gave the order and the elven army rushed to meet their foe. Riding forward, Tauriel considered what she had wanted to say. She had failed her prince once. She would not fail him again. Even if it cost her life, Legolas would not fall in this battle.

As the sound of thundering hooves and screaming orcs filled the air there seemed to be a moment of silence. In the second just before the first weapons met the world seemed to take a breath. Perhaps it was the universe in mourning for what was about to occur, but it was soon gone and forgotten as chaos took over.

...

As the two forces met below them, Thorin watched in sick fascination at what was occurring. Thranduil himself had actually led the forces of elves against the orcs, and as the dwarf watched he wondered what had spurred the cold and heartless elf king to get off his throne. In a moment of dark and cruel spite, he found himself hoping that Thranduil was cut down in the battle to come.

Quickly his thoughts were interrupted as Gandalf, followed closely by Bard, readied to join the war. The dwarf king glanced out over his people before drawing his own weapon and following the old wizard and the dragon slayer. Flooding over the ridge, dwarves and men alike let out a loud battle cry as they dove into their enemy. Not expecting the attack, many a surprised orc fell to the weapons of the second army that appeared over the ridge.

But the coordination of the strike last not ten minutes before the battle quickly made way to chaos. The three sides mingled, the cries of dying men, dwarves, elves and orcs filling the air soon enough. But even as the forces of good cut down an enemy two more seemed to take his place.

As the battle waged memories of the war at Moria filled the dwarf kings mind. It had been just as hopeless and just as difficult. With bared teeth he cut down an orc before turning to the next. It was a never ending stream of enemies. The difference was this time his nephews fought but his side.

Breathing hard, Kili turned to strike down one more enemy, driving his weapon into the orcs gut before wrenching it out and turning to the next. Already he was tiring, his leg actually beginning to hurt. Gritting his teeth, he blocked a weapon that was headed towards Fili's back, knocking the orc away. He could barely tell what was going on, where one orc started and the next began. It was growing harder and harder to watch his brothers and uncles backs not to mention his own.

Turning to bring his sword down across the approaching head of a warg a sharp and sudden pain cut through his leg, nearly bringing him to his knees. An orc that hadn't been so dead had managed to stab him through his injured leg.

Noticing his brother's distress, Fili ran the creature through before coming back to back with his brother. "Kili?!"

"I'll be fine." The young dwarf grit out, forcing himself to stay standing and continue on. He had to be fine. Any falter here and he would surely fall.

Behind them, Thorin fought his own battle. A small group of wargs had managed to corner him. Growling and snarling, he slashed his weapon around him, praying to catch one of their muzzles. Making a choice, he threw himself at one, driving his sword through its skull. But this also left him vulnerable to the others. He shouted in pain as teeth sunk into his shoulder, but as quickly as it came, it was gone.

Pulling his weapon free with a grimace he turned only to see his kin driving away the wargs, slaying one and then two and then three…. Muscling through the pain in his shoulder Thorin rejoined them.

Breathing hard and in pain, the dwarf did a quick assessment of the situation. Kili was limping horribly and as white as a sheet. Fili seemed to be ok as of now but was quickly running out of stamina. As for he, his left arm was not doing well at all. Where the rest of his company had disappeared to in the battle? He knew not; and from where he stood the dwarves of the iron mountains seemed to be slowly thinning out.

A massive thundering crash suddenly drew his attention, sounding further along the mountain as part of the barricade at the gates of Erebor crashed heavily onto a battalion of orcs. Stepping onto the heaps of rubble, Thorin could make out the form of the wizard, cutting down any orc that came within reach. But more amazing, from around the broken blockade a large force of men, led by Bard rushed out.

Having regrouped, the man of Dale led another charge against the foe. Swords and shields locked, their charge went well. But the enemy slowly breached the attack and again, the battle turned to chaos.

At the loud thunder of falling stone, Fili's attention had wavered. And as he glanced towards the sound it had been just enough time for the bolt from a black crossbow to drive into his shoulder. Crying out in pain, he barely even had a moment to register what had happened before he had to raise his sword in defense. The orc's attacks came mercilessly and gave no room for attacking. Blocking a strike that was meant to run him through, Fili felt himself stumbling backwards.

Grinning maliciously, the attacking orc dived forward as the young dwarf stumbled, weapon ready to kill. But just as the fatal blow was about to be delivered, it was blocked and the orc fell dead to the ground. Pale and breathing hard, Kili freed his blade from the body of the orc that was about to kill his brother and turned to meet the next attacker.

But as he looked up, the crowd of enemies parted, and through it came their worst enemy. Backing away, both Kili and Fili fell to their Uncles sides, weapons raised. It took Thorin a moment to notice what was happening, as he was finishing off an orc, but when he looked up his face paled visibly.

Coming upon them, Azog, raised his sword. "King under the mountain." His voice rumbled cruelly, the words not matching the horrible grin he wore. "Now I get to kill you."

With each step the massive orc general took forward, the three dwarves took back. Finally, finding the courage and resolve within him, Thorin threw himself forward, but his blade did not go very far.

Blocking the dwarf's attack easily, the pale orc threw one of his own. Dodging the blow, Thorin stepped heavily to the side, swinging upwards in an blow which was quickly deflected. The two went on like this for a minute, the orc general only toying with the injured dwarf king before stepping forward in a hard and violent slash which sent Thorin flying backwards.

Shocked, Thorin hit the ground with a shout of pain. Mind and body fueled by adrenaline, he did not notice the horrible slash across his chest until he tried to get up again and could not. Even as blood seeped through his clothes and down his body, it was still unreal. It could not end like this. Not like this. Not by the hands of the same orc that had already brought death to his line.

Azog approached Thorin, grinning wickedly but was halted by the battle cry of two desperate brothers. Moving together Kili and Fili dived at the massive Orc. Because he was not expecting the attack, Fili's blade actually managed to find its mark across the generals thigh, but the wound did nothing more than make him angry.

Blocking Kili's second blow with his weaponized arm, Azog spun, and with a powerful slash of his sword flung back Fili as he had Thorin.

"FILI!" Fear gripped Kili's heart at the prospect of losing his brother. He didn't know if he could continue on if the tawny haired dwarf fell. Relief flooded Kili when he saw Fili get up and throw himself forward to crouch over Thorin, sword raised as if to shield him. Realizing what his brother was doing, Kili fell back to do the same. If they were to die here, on the side of the lonely mountain….they would all die together.

At the sight of his cowering and wounded prey Azog laughed. Teeth bared in a grin of satisfaction. Finally….after all this time Thorin Oakenshield and his kin would finally come to an end. Raising his sword he savored the moment. His victory.

And then he brought it down.

...  
**AUTHORS NOTES**  
Let's kick off the new year with a little death and mayhem shall we?

I feel like this chapter isn't quite up to par with the rest and I'm sorry about that. Like I keep saying I'm not great at multiple perspectives. But there are so many perspectives that I want to write. I reeaally hope it's not to jumbled or confused because of that.

Also. The battle of five armies is such a massive and great battle I feel that I will never be able to do it justice. There is so much that is supposed to happen and wow it's really hard to write. So much. So I'm doing my best.

This chapter mostly focuses on our dwarves but I swear the next one will focus on our elves. Fear not. Actually wait. Yes. Yes fear. Fear lots. There are a lot of characters and not all of them are going to make it.

Gah. Again. Characters are hard. Bleh.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And again! Thank you oodles and oodles for reviewdles. No seriously, I love to hear your feedback, be it what you thought of certain events or characterizations or just that you liked my tale. I send all of my wonderful readers my love and well wishes for the new year.

Hopefully I will have the next chapter out later today or tomorrow.

PS. And I forgot to mention this in earlier chapters while it was still entirely relevant. Look up 'no light, no light' by Florance and the machine. It matches so well wow.


	12. Chapter 12

Even though the pale orcs sword fell, it did not reach it prey. Instead it met the familiar steel of Orcrist. Bowing under the weight of the blow that was meant to kill, Thranduil stood fast, the two weapons grinding together as Azog stared in shock.

Among the three dwarfs who were wide eyed and looking up on the scene, only one of them recognized their savoir. But Thorin did not believe it. He even wondered for a moment that he was seeing illusions produced from pain or blood loss.

Dishevelled and bloodstained, the elven king was otherwise uninjured. He had been gracefully and quickly cutting a path across the battlefield when he had heard a familiar name screamed. It was the name of the dwarf who had saved his son. By his honor, he could not allow Fili to be slain and had quickly come to his aide.

Narrowing his eyes, Thranduil unlocked his weapon from the orcs, twisting away before swinging up in his own fatal blow. Unfortunately by the time he did this the shock had worn off and Azog was able to block the attack. Growling, the orc flung himself at the elf, sword raised and deadly, but Thranduil was too fast and was able to easily dodge.

Intelligent beyond what orcs were meant to be, Azog had seen this dodge coming and brought his steel hand up to meet his opponent. Barely seeing this coming in time, Thranduil was only able to spin away enough to save himself from being impaled. Unfortunately, the blow still caught him along his side which his armor mostly saved him from. Mostly. The adrenaline fueling him made the injury seem not as bad as it actually was.

Both combatants now fuming with anger, they met each other head on. The brute strength and force behind the orcs blows versus the quick and expertly thrown speed of the elven kings. From the ground watching the battle, Kili stared in awe as the elf fought. He had never seen such grace and skill before, not even in the elves who had captured them in the woods.

Mostly spinning and dodging the attacks, Thranduil's blade was suddenly caught up in the orcs iron arm, locking it as he twisted the limb.

Having to choose between being cleaved in half or letting go of Orcrist, Thranduil did the later. Fuming mad that he had once again been disarmed by an orc, the elf drew his knives and ran forward intending to end the battle the same way he had ended the one with the orc general at Dor Guldur. But that was not Azogs fate. Waiting for the best moment, the orc threw a sudden elbow what was unavoidable.

It was all Thranduil could do to stay on his feet as he was thrown backwards. But before he could regain his stance, Azog was on him. With no choice but to block the next attack rather than dodge, his twin blades barely withstood the force of the blow as it fell. With a desperation he had not felt in a long time, the elf king wildly searched the ground for Orcrist. Spotting his sword discarded nearby, he danced away from the general, slipping by him with unnatural speed towards his actual weapon.

Realizing what his opponent was doing, Azog made a snap decision and threw his massive weapon towards the elven king. It paid off. The unexpected force of the collision brought Thranduil quite ungracefully to the ground. And just as he was about to roll back onto his feet, the steel clawed weapon of his opponent was brought down around his neck in a choke hold which effectively pinned him.

Azog paused for a moment, grinning maliciously in Thranduil's face as he pressed down harder. Unlike the mask of narrow eyed anger the elf king wore as they fought, it changed quickly to one of shock, pain and desperation. The foreign emotion of fear for his own life suddenly rose within him as the unforgiving steel pressed into his throat, the claws sinking into the soil. Unaccustomed to losing, the elf kings mind froze as he brought up on hand to try and relieve the choke hold while flinging out the other to try and reach Orcrist. The elven blade was so close his fingers almost brushed it.

But the hand he had thrown out suddenly brushed something else, one of the knives he had dropped when the weight of the massive sword had collided with him. Retaking the weapon, Thranduil's arm moved lightning fast, embedding the knife in Azog's neck.

With a scream of pain and fury, the orc general reeled backwards, drawing back his forked arm. Suddenly free, Thranduil reclaimed Orcrist from the ground and rolled into a crouch. Barely spending even a moment to think, he rushed the orc that had just pulled the knife from his neck. And with speed that the orc general did not share, his blade found its mark across Azog's throat.

Breathing hard and eyes narrowed, Thranduil stepped back in time for the massive creature to fall forwards, dead at his feet. Not sparing another moment for satisfaction at the close victory, Thranduil turned his piercing gaze to his next task.

As the battle ended, Kili could feel the awe within him change to fear when the elf turned his gaze on him and his kin. Swallowing nervously, he kept his weapon raised. Kneeling on Thorin's other side, Fili did the same thing.

"You would be fools to think that I would save you only to kill you now." There was a cold bite of irritation in Thranduil's voice as he approached. Yet even so, the words seemed to calm them.

As the war still waged on the mountain side, the elf king came to a quick decision. Reaching down he grabbed Thorin but the collar of his tunic and began dragging him away. Luckily the dwarf lord was now unconscious or else he would not have been able to succeed in his endeavor so easily. Not wanting to argue, the brothers followed closely, cutting down an orc or two that strayed towards them. They were already on the edge of the battle, but now they seemed to be leaving it completely.

Finally reaching his destination, Thranduil dropped Thorin behind a large stone, out of view from the war. Crouching down above him he delicately lifted broken armor and cloth to take a look at the wound on the dwarf's chest. The only reaction that showed on his face was his mouth twitching down in a frown. Thorin would not survive his wounds if he did not get medical care soon.

The sudden touch of cold steel on the back of his neck caused him to freeze. Hand still lifting the fabric of Thorin's shirt, he glanced up at the one who was threatening him.

"Why ARE you helping us?" It was Fili who was staring down at him with distrust. There were only two elves that he knew and trusted and this was not one of them.

"You are Fili, are you not?" The elf king still didn't move, only stared up at the dwarf.

Taken aback that the elf knew his name, Fili frowned. "I will not share my name until you do."

With a sigh, Thranduil spoke. "I am helping you because I am in debt to you. You saved my son where I failed to."

Eyes wide, Fili quickly removed his sword, allowing the elf to stand. "You are…king Thranduil. You're Legolas' father."

The elf king only nodded slightly, expression solemn before looking down at Thorin once more. "His wounds run deep and without care he will soon pass from this life." Stepping away, he turned back to look at the brothers once more. "This is all I can do for you. I must rejoin the battle." He had to return to battle to find his own kin. He had lost sight of Legolas when he had heard Fili's name called and he couldn't help the worry that was now flooding him.

Watching the elf go, Fili was unsure how to feel. Shock, and fear for his uncles life; gratitude and awe at the king of the woodland realms assistance. Suddenly Thranduil stopped once more, turning to meet the eyes of the tawny haired dwarf.

"Thank you, Fili of house Durin. I said once that there was no king and never would there be a king under the mountain. But if Thorin Oakenshield falls today, I would not be unhappy to see you take the throne." And with those final words he as gone, disappearing back into the sea of battle.

Far away from the three dwarves and their plight, the prince of Mirkwood and the former guard captain were in the middle of the war. The skills of an orc that trained for perhaps six months could never match those of an elf that had been training for centuries. But what they lacked in skill, they made up for in numbers.

Fighting as if he were dancing, Legolas' knives skillfully cut through every orc that dared approach him. And for those that tried to strike from behind, Tauriel was there to stop them. When they had first rode into the battle the prince couldn't help but admit that deep down he felt slightly uneasy with Tauriel riding in as his back up. He had forgiven her, yes. But did he trust her? It seemed that he hadn't.

Turning to cut down another enemy while at the same time saving the life of a man from Lake Town, Legolas paused to catch his breath; the foul odor of orcs, blood and death filling the air.

"Are you ok?" Tauriel's blades found their mark in the chest of an orc before she turned to him, reaching over to grasp his arm.

"Of course." Legolas turned from her, unable to look his friend in the eye as he lied. He was quickly tiring; his wounds not as healed as he first thought they had been. His shoulder ached, and his head pounded but he refused to show weakness. He had not let what happened to him in Dor Guldur stop him. He would not let a mere battle stop him.

Tauriel watched the prince with worry in her eyes before having to take up her weapon to defend herself once more. But even as her steel met the orcs, her mind was still on her friend. She was paying attention to his fight more than her own. Quickly dispatching the orc who had flung itself at her, she spun, decapitating another that was diving for Legolas' back.

A commotion that was larger than normal approached to their left. Through the crowd and cutting down all within their way, a group of Uruk-Hai managed to stay in formation. Noticing the two elves that were cutting down their own fair share of opponents, the small group turned and made a bee line straight for them.

At the sight Tauriel glanced at Legolas nervously. As much as he tried to hide it, he was not well. His normal untouchable and unflappable fighting style was not flawless as usual. The more she watched him the more falters she noticed in his movements, the more grimaces that flashed across his face if he knew it or not.

Falling back to stand side by side, the two took their best fighting stance before rushing the enemy. Dashing around the first creature's blade, Legolas spun gracefully as his knives struck true, deep into its side. With a loud scream of rage and pain, it turned to swing at him. Dodging the angry strike and the attack of another of the group of Uruk-hai, Legolas launched himself onto the seconds chest and both blades were buried in its heart quickly after.

Using the momentum of the falling orc, Legolas jumped off hitting the ground in a roll and intending to come up on his feet within seconds. But the move that he had practiced on countless occasions during battles throughout the ages failed him. When his body met the ground, the unexpected pain of the impact on his remaining injuries shocked him.

Faltering horribly, the first Uruk-hai he had injured used this as an opportunity to strike. Rushing forward, it swung down hard at the elf. Just regaining his composing, Legolas managed to roll away in time for the blade to meet the ground rather than his body.

Finally getting his feet under him again, the prince easily managed to finish off the injured creature in a skillful spin of his knives. Breathing hard and grimacing in pain he realized that the small band of Uruk-hai all lay dead at their feet. Of the five, Tauriel had managed to fell the other three.  
Meeting her eyes, he nodded to her with a smile at the small victory. But the look on her face quickly caused his face to fall.

The next moment happened so quickly yet seemingly in slow motion. Only about ten feet away, Tauriel rushed towards him at a sprint. "Legolas! Move!" Her voice rang out loud and clear, but before what she had said registered in his mind her body was crashing into his and they both fell into an ungraceful heap on the ground.

As he looked up, his gaze finally fell on the threat she had noticed. An orc about 30 feet away was just nocking another arrow with its sights set firmly on them. Without even getting up, the elf prince quickly took up his own bow which he had shouldered and sent an arrow back at the enemy. Luckily his injuries did not cause his aim to falter and the orc fell dead.

Grimacing, he pulled himself to his knees, eyes watching carefully for any enemy that approached. "Thank you Tauriel." If not for her, he probably would have been shot in the back.

Quickly he noticed something was wrong. She was not getting up. "Tauriel?" Worry leaked into his voice as he shuffled over to her, quickly and gently taking her by the shoulder and rolling her onto her back. Horror at what he saw washed over him, his heart clenching in panic.

The long shaft of a black arrow protruded from her chest, just right of her heart. It had even managed to pierce the leather armor she wore.

"I had your back…" Legolas clenched his jaw when he heard the quiet words.

"Yes, you did…" He whispered back, sorrow flooding him. Even with the fastest and best healing there was, it would be difficult to save her. But here…in the middle of a battle field while a war waged…..impossible. Trying to swallow his sorrow, it got even more difficult when she reached out to take his hand.

"I-I couldn't fail you again…" Her voice came out strained. Blood pooled in her punctured lung, which in turn caused her to start struggling for enough breath.

"Do not speak..." Brushing the loose strands of hair that found their way onto her forehead he tried to think of what to say. He knew that she was dying, but deep down he was having trouble accepting it. "You did not fail me."

Gasping a breath, Tauriel smiled. "I will be…walking among….starlight s-soon." Legolas could bring himself to speak not longer and only nodded, brows furrowed almost painfully. "T-tell Kili….that….I don't know…i-if I could have…b-but … I might h-have tried…"

Not knowing what she meant but wanting to appease her, the prince only nodded, gripping her hand tighter. As her eyes slipped shut, Legolas felt his heart breaking, and within moments the hand he held in his own fell limp. One of his best friends was gone.

**Authors notes**  
I know a lot of people were hoping and praying for a happy ending but...I don't really do happy endings. This is me. I'm notorious for writing sad. Of the two main plot ideas that happened in this chapter, I had both of them planned from nearly chapter seven. Sorry for the feels, but stay tuned for some more father-son interactions.

Reviews are always loved yes. I'd love to hear your feedback, even if it's just sadness and tears.

And here I leave you on a solemn note.


	13. Chapter 13

Unable to bring himself to let go….to accept that Tauriel was really gone, Legolas knelt there and cradled her, stricken with grief. Despite everything that had happened in the last week, even in his darkest moments, he hadn't ever really hated her. He had been angry…hurt…but he had never stopped caring for her.

Minutes passed in a sorrow induced haze where everything around him was nearly forgotten. But slowly, the roar of the battle finally came back, thundering into his ears. Only then did the realization that he hadn't been attacked dawn him. But before he could glance around to figure out why, he heard a familiar voice call out. "Iôn!"

There was desperation in the voice that pulled Legolas the rest of the way out of his daze. Eyes darting they finally fell on the one who was keeping the enemy at bay.

After leaving Thorin and his kin a safe distance away from the battle, Thranduil had set to locate his own kin. Determined and worried, he again began to cut his way across the battlefield. But the adrenaline that had fueled him during his fight with Azog was slowly wearing off and he was finally feeling the extent of the injury he'd sustained. His side was on fire, pain shooting up and across his back.

Glancing down between slashes but never stopping he narrowed his eyes, screaming curses internally that he hadn't dodged the blow that dealt the injury. Blood was still seeping from the wound, soaking his side and all the way down to his knee. Gritting his teeth he chose to ignore it. Legolas was more important.

This decision was rightfully made, for when he finally located his son it was just in time to see a black arrow flying towards him. Eyes wide in horror, it was like a scene from a nightmare. But as he yelled his sons name, Tauriel, who had been fighting by Legolas' side did as well.

Relief swelled within him when Legolas stood, yet grimly he came to the realization that Tauriel had not. The anger he had still felt towards her slowly ebbed and was replaced with forgiveness and a twinge of regret. Despite all of her flaws and mistakes she had been willing to give her life to save his sons.

Moving quickly, he closed the distance between them, cutting down any enemy that neared. "Legolas!" But calling did no good, his son was in a different place. A place he had been not days ago.

Moving quickly and gracefully despite the injury, Thranduil circled the two elves on the ground, keeping any orcs that rushed forward away. Minutes passed and bodies slowly began to pile around the grieving prince. But unfortunately, as those minutes passed, Thranduil was beginning to slow.

"Legolas!" He yelled in an attempt to break the spell of sorrow that held his son. He could not defend both himself and his son for much longer.

Spinning, he swung to decapitate another rushing orc. His sword fell true but his foot did not. Stumbling, he had barely enough time to defend from the swing of yet another enemy. The quick and flawless style he had been fighting in at the beginning of the battle was no longer quick and flawless. Blood loss and injury was hampering him now.

Running the orc through, he twirled around the elf on the ground to take down a warg that had been rushing at them. In a quick spin, he dodged its jaws, thrusting Orcrist through its skull. Breathing hard, he turned to defend again.

"Iôn!" The desperation was clear in his voice now but thankfully he finally got through. Shooting a glance at his son, relief flooded him as Legolas' gaze rose.

"Adar?" Legolas glanced from his father, to the enemies on the ground, back down to Tauriel and then up again to the elf king. His eyes widened as the last of the haze lifted and the reality of the situation crashed down.

Thranduil's movement were slow, flawed, enough to effectively defeat the orcs that rushed him, but so unlike his usual form. With a furrowed brow and a pang in his heart, Legolas left Tauriel's side, taking up his knives once more and rushing to his father's aide.

Together they fought, back to back and side by side, both injured, but effectively watching each other's backs.

"What happened to you?" Legolas finally asked in a worried tone between spinning away from the sword fall of an enemy and cutting it down. He shot a glance at his father.

"A careless error." Was all the elven king grit out. In truth, he was feeling it worse and worse with every passing moment. His skin was paling, his head feeling light.

Legolas regarded the older elf with wide worried eyes. As much as his father tried to hide it, he was seriously hurting. The blood soaking his clothes and running off his armor was not drying, which meant that it was still bleeding.

It was then that time seemed to slow down for a moment that seemed to span both a couple seconds and an eternity.

As Legolas turned into a spin to cut the throat of an orc he had just sparred with, his blue eyes just managed to catch movement. Not ten feet from the two of them an orc had just loosed a spear towards the elf king. "Noo!"

Caught up in his own battle with a rather large orc, Thranduil's eyes caught the movement a moment too late. Cutting down the creature, he turned but not fast enough.  
With a sickening thud and a screech of steel, the impact caused Thranduil to stumble back with a startled cry.

Eyes wild with pain and anger, the prince took up his bow and felled the assailant within the span of about three seconds.

"Adar! No!" Rushing forward, Legolas caught the elf king by the shoulders just as he sunk to his knees. No….no….no….please, he couldn't lose his father too.

**Authors notes**  
Barely long enough to be called a chapter, I know. But I thought I'd post it anyway rather than making you wait. Plus, I thought I'd explain why it's taking me so long.  
There are a couple reasons. From here on out I don't really know where I'm going with this? Like I kinda do...but I don't really. It'll end soon though. Maybe next chapter.  
And two, because I've been spending all of my time sewing. I've now nearly completed an entire Thranduil costume. (Dang, that robe was hard.) And I've been making a drow outfit for my larp (Holy cow, drow armor is even harder than Thranduil robe.)  
So I'll be busy coming up with finishing these things. But I'll try and write a little daily to finish this thing. I HATE seeing a story left hanging.

So! If you see I still haven't posted after a week by all means poke at me through reviews or private messaging and yell and me to fricken write the damn thing. If you so desire you can also follow my tumblr which is vija-thorn. I post costume progress and lotr's stuff, also art.

Love to all of my reviewers and followers! You are the only reason this fic even happened since I wasn't even going to finish it!


	14. Chapter 14

There's a song I wrote this chapter to. It's very melancholy and fit well. If you want to look it up and listen as you read it's called 'Light at the end of the tunnel' by Kerry Muzzey. It's an instrumental and adds a lot of emotion to this chapter.

Thranduil grit his teeth in pain, both hands gripping the shaft of the spear. It had caught him in the shoulder, piercing the armor just under his arm. Holding his breath he shut his eyes and steeled himself for a moment before wrenching the weapon out. Hissing a breath through his teeth, he tossed it angrily to the side and took a moment to regain his composure.

Legolas, who was still cradling his father with a horrified expression, watched as the older elf pulled out the spear. The squeal of the wood on the elven kings armor caused him to wince visibly. But with a quick assessment he realized that it looked worse than it was.

The spear had barely penetrated the well-made armor and the only reason it had at all was because it hit a vulnerable spot. Thankfully the injury it caused did not appear fatal in any way either. Swallowing the sickness that had grown within him at the prospect of losing his father, the prince was almost giddy with relief.

Breathing hard, Thranduil grimaced as his son helped him to his feet. Forcing the pain off his face, he took up Orcrist once more. He could not afford to succumb to pain or injury; not here, not now.  
Nodding to Legolas who was staring at him in concern he spoke, voice as commanding and strong as ever. "I am fine."

Expression unchanging, the prince did not answer but only returned the nod. He knew his father was certainly not fine. But either way, this war had to be fought.

Both elves delved into the battle again, coming to the aide of the allies who had come to theirs not minutes earlier. Legolas had been too worried for his father to notice the small group of soldiers come to their defense, two elves and three men.

But the battle got no easier. The enemy's ranks seemed infinite as theirs were quickly diminishing. Man, elf and dwarf alike fell to the impossible number of orcs and wargs that flooded the side of the mountain.

Despite favoring his left arm, Thranduils right arm was by no means hampered. Orcrist fell just as lethal as before, cutting down enemy after enemy. But his movements were slow, his steps not as graceful. Legolas himself was doing no better, countless wounds stung and ached, his shoulder painful. But like his father, he pressed on, as did the injured soldiers around them.

A sudden roar echoed through the air, seeming to shake the very ground beneath their feet. With a quick slash of a knife, Legolas cut down the orc who had been startled by the noise before glancing up himself. Squinting across the battlefield he could make out the massive shape of something moving across the mountain and into the fray. It appeared to be an animal, perhaps a bear. If it was friend or foe he did not know.

As he was about to turn his gaze back to the fight, something else caught his attention. Eagles circled the battlefield, perhaps 20, perhaps more, each of them diving down and wreaking havoc on any evil creature it caught in its talons.

Hope suddenly filling him, the elf prince found his second wind and a new strength to fight with. Perhaps this battle was not so hopeless.

"Come together!" His fathers booming voice suddenly brought his eyes back to the battle field. Glancing at the king, the prince suddenly realized what he was doing.

"To me!" Again Thranduil yelled as the small force grew and pressed forward. With the eagles above them and the massive bear tearing across the battlefield to their right, the line of soldiers made their way across the mountain. Like a wave, ruthless and unstoppable with renewed hope and vigor they left a bloody trail of bodies in their wake.

But as large as this force seemed now, it was small next to the armies that had rode into battle to begin with. Dwarves stood shoulder to hip with elves and men alike as their blades all fell on the common enemy. And it was seen that their small force was enough as the enemy started turning away to flee.

The roar of battle quickly petered out into the far away howls and yells of the enemy as they ran until a somber silence came over the battle field.

Now that the threat was gone, Thranduil allowed himself a moment to take a breath. Expression icy in order to hide the sorrow that swelled within him, he surveyed the carnage that lay at his feet.

Swallowing, his gaze fell on the faces of his kin, bloodied and lifeless and a sudden sorrow washed over him. He suddenly felt like a knife had slipped into his heart. Forcing his hand to stay at his side rather than grip his chest he continued his somber walk.

He had vowed never to see his kin into a war like this again, ever since his father had lead their army into battle and he himself had to lead a fraction of their numbers out. He remembered leading that small army back home, forcing himself to be strong after just losing his father…after losing so many of his kin. This day was no different and no less painful.

So much death….and pain….and loss….and for what? What would have happened had the elves not ridden out today?

His mind then shifted to Thorin, his nephews…Surely they would have all been killed had the elves not ridden out. As their army would have been, the dwarves of the Iron Mountains and the men of Lake Town alike. And after they had finished there they probably would have travelled down to the camps on the edge of the lake and decimated the woman and children as well.

Icy expression breaking, Thranduils brows drew together. He had done the right thing today, as hard as it was to stomach. For those who had fallen….were less than those who would have died had he not.

And with that somber conclusion, the elven king made his way across the field towards his son.

-  
As soon as it was obvious that the battle had been won, Legolas was on the move. Of the 1800 free people who had stood against the evil this day not 600, perhaps 700 still lived.

Moving across the battle field, the elven prince's eyes search for the faces of his friends and allies. Gaze moving across both those still standing and those on the ground, the pain of the loss soon grew in his heart. Tauriel….she was gone.

This re-realization caused him to pause, a clear look of pain passing over his face. He had pushed the event from his mind in order to survive the battle, but now…

Taking a shaky breath, he forced his feet to keep moving. She did not save his life to have him slip into sorrow. He would continue on…for her. But then there was Fili….and Kili… he had to break the news. A horrific thought then occurred to him. What if they had fallen as well?

With a new and panicked goal, the prince set off across the battle field in search of the dwarves. Painful minutes passed as Legolas searched the faces around him. Pain, death….it was all he saw. The expressions of horror and pain on those of the dead were mimicked in the faces of those still living. There truly was no horror to match that of a war.

As the prince's gaze passed over the faces of his kin, he could tell those who had seen it before. The expressions were hard, cold and emotionless. It was the same face his father wore across the field. It was not because of heartlessness that brought this cold detachment, but because of too much heart. To see war like this, again and again, it hurt.

The longer Legolas searched, the more the fear grew in his heart. They couldn't have…been killed….

A sudden movement on the side of the mountain drew his gaze, and as his sharp eyes fell on the three figures his chest swelled in relief. They were alive.

**Authors Notes:**  
My deepest apologies for the amount of time it took for me to write this, wow. I don't even really have that great of an excuse either. I guess I just didn't really know HOW I was going to end it? I still kinda don't, but at least I have more of an idea now than I did a couple days ago.

You can thank the person who left me a plate of lembas bread and honey cakes along with a note which I can only image said to get my ass in gear and write the damn thing, because that was what got me to write the damn thing. That person being aronoiiel. I am easily guilt tripped into doing stuff. Remember that if I take as long writing the next chapter.

btw, the next chapter will probably be the last. I'm running out of steam and the story was never ACTUALLY meant to go this far. It was only kinda supposed to go to when Legolas got rescued but my imagination took the idea of the rest and ran with it without my say so. Oh well, I hope it doesn't show in my writing.

Anyway, I hope this is ok. I know it's short. But there's not much story left to tell.

Again, feel free to poke me or yell at me through private messaging if I take to long again. It does help.


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